


The Queen's Most Precious Treasure

by IamNoOneSpecial



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Commoner Zelda, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Rewritten Folktale, Royal Link, fairytale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-10-26 07:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17741450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamNoOneSpecial/pseuds/IamNoOneSpecial
Summary: This is a rewritten folktale; rewritten using LOZ characters. This is the sequel to "The silver dagger and its sheath."Two years have passed since "the silver dagger," Hyrule has recovered from the war and her young king (Link) is expected to find himself a wife.However... our young king is rather undecided about whom he should take to be his wife; not only does he want a loving partner to spend his life with; he also wants a capable queen to rule alongside him.Now what maiden might be suitable...?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HALT! This is a sequel! Have you already read the prequel "The silver dagger and its sheath?" If not, do better do so. Not only will this sequel include characters from the prequel; it will also make references to events that have taken place in the prior story.
> 
> If you have; Welcome back; here are the next adventures of the wise, fair Zelda.

Two long busy years had passed since the war against the evil warlord, the vile Ganondorf, has been won, and finally the people of Hyrule could celebrate the event.

Throughout the land the people of Hyrule praised their young but dedicated king, who had led their armies to victory and saved them from slavery.

But they blessed their young king tenscore times more for all the help he had given them throughout that long, hard time of rebuilding.

They blessed him for all the safe homes to where he had sent and brought those who had lost their own, and for all the homes he had later ordered to be rebuilt.

They blessed him for all the food he had given them to save them from hunger, and for all the firewood, coal, and for all the warm clothes he had given them to save them from the cold of winter.

And they blessed him, and all the soldiers and healers he had ordered to protect them from robbery and plague.

One among these many thankful was an old weary but content farmer who was known for never telling lies. This old farmer, who was known as the old Daphnes, lived and worked on the great farm of the landlord Talon. The old Daphnes did not have to work much anymore; instead he oversaw the young farmworkers and saw to it that they did their work and that they did it right and well. It was to no small degree thanks to the old one's many years of experience that the farmlands of the burly Talon flourished as much as they did.

Every harvest season, the fields would bring in many, many sacks of grainy gold.

Every harvest season, the trees would be laden with heavy, plump fruit.

And every now and then, the gardens would seemingly overgrow with lush, green, healthy vegetables.

The animals too thrived under the old one's care. The cows and the goats would always come home plump and sated and their udders full of rich, fat milk.

The cucco hens would eat a rich meal of grains every day and then lay a half dozen of eggs each.

And the swine would eat and eat and eat and grow big and fat and stout.

To be fair though, praise must also be given to the beautiful young maiden with chestnut brown hair, who was always at the old one's side. This pretty maiden was his daughter, the wise, fair Zelda who was known throughout the land for her beauty, but many times more so for her good judgment and wisdom, which often surpassed that of one twice her age.

She too oversaw the farmworkers. She would watch them closely with much attention, always wondering what could be done to make their work easier, quicker and yet better. There was not one place on the farmlands of the burly landlord Talon which had not flourished more thanks to the clever young maiden.

One time, when the wise, fair Zelda had sampled from the jugs of milk, she had noticed that not all of the milk had tasted the same. Some of it had tasted noticeably better. It had taken the clever maiden a bit of time and investigation, but eventually she discovered that the cows and goats, whose milk had tasted so delicious, had fed on some herbs while all the others had fed on nothing but grass.

Now the feeding plains of the burly Talon held a wide variety of herbs, grasses and even some vegetables that the cows and goats could feed on.

Another time, during harvest season, the wise, fair Zelda had noticed that the landlord Talon's orchards had yielded more fruit than those of most other farmers. Again it took her some time and investigating, but in the end she uncovered that it had been thanks to a beekeeper who had brought his hives to the burly Talon's orchards back when they had bloomed.

Now the landlord Talon had a couple of beekeepers living and working on his farm. And now his orchards and gardens always brought forth plenty of sweet fruit while his beehives always brought him plenty of sweet honey.

Life had become idyllic for the wise, fair Zelda and her father, the old Daphnes. Their work was not too hard and yet very rewarding. Every day they could eat and drink from plenty of good things, and every day they got to spend in the company of good, dear friends.  
The wise, fair Zelda did not wish for more and would have been happily content to live out all her years working on the farmlands of the burly landlord Talon.

But that was not the fate that the golden goddesses had chosen for her.  
And the time had finally come the golden goddesses decided to see the wise, fair Zelda on the path that was destined for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think? Since "The Queen's most Precious Treasure" is the sequel to "The silver dagger and its sheath," I wanted the first chapter to be reminiscent to that of its predecessor; so that people would say:  
> Yep, this is definitely the sequel.
> 
> Okay... let’s try again:  
> What do you think?  
> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	2. Chapter 2

It was after another busy morning of farmwork that the fair Zelda and her dear friends took their lunch in the form of a cheerful picnic.

"Have you already heard what they say, dear Zelda?"

"Heard what? What news have you brought this time from town, dear Malon?"

The wise, fair Zelda and the rest of the curious farmmaids crowded around the landlord's only daughter.

"Our young king is going to wed!"

Surprised cries rose from the maidens.

"Who is he going to wed?" asked a slender, red-haired farmmaiden excitedly, "Why haven't we heard of this lucky maiden before?"

"There is no such lucky maiden as of now, dear Anju," answered the good Malon, "While the king intends to wed, he does not know as of yet whom. So, they say, our king and his advisers are searching for any willing maidens of noble birth."

"Is that so...?" asked the wise, fair Zelda as she reached for the pitcher, "Oh!"

"What is it, dear Zelda?"

The wise, fair Zelda held up the jug from which she had wanted to fill her cup, "The pitcher is empty. We have no more peach cordial..."

"What?!" The red-haired Malon promptly grabbed the pitcher from her, "You greedy wenches! I have not had one cup of it!"

"We are so sorry dear Malon. Here, let me fetch some more for you," with that, the red-haired Anju took the pitcher and went on her way to the big farm house.

Meanwhile, the rest of the farmmaids continued their lunch and their cheerful chatter.

"Say, dear Zelda?" asked the good Malon her dear friend, "Who do you think our king will choose for his bride?"

"I am afraid I have no idea..." admitted the fair Zelda, "I know not of many princesses and maidens of noble birth. The only princesses I truly have heard of are Princess Ruto of the Zoras and Princess Hilda from a neighboring country."

"Is that so...?" The good Malon said nothing else and took a bite of her spread slice bread.

Of a sudden she asked, "Say, dear Zelda, why do you not try to marry our king?"

The dumbstruck Zelda looked at her incredulously, "Whatever are you saying, dear Malon? I could never be a king's wife!"

"Whatever are YOU saying, dear Zelda?" said the amused Malon, "There is not one man near or far in the land who would not love to have you as his wife."

"Perhaps..." admitted the fair Zelda, "But the man you speak of is none other than our king, Link Swiftblade the Victorious, the best swordsman in the land, the young but brave prince who gathered what was left of our army and brought us victory against the evil warlord, the vile Ganondorf, and his armies, whereas I am-"

"The wise, fair Zelda, the maiden chosen by the goddess Nayru herself to defeat our mighty king with naught more than her mere wits!" replied the impish Malon.

"I did not defeat our king, foolish Malon, I merely unraveled his riddle!" retorted the annoyed yet amused, fair Zelda, "And I was not chosen to do so by the goddess Nayru either, you blasphemess!"

The good Malon smiled at her impishly, "I still say you could have the king as your husband if you put your wits to it."

"And I still say it will not happen!" replied the wise, fair Zelda, "Why would our king want to have me as his wife?"

"Why would he not?" replied the red-haired Malon, "Were you two not together all the time back when you and your father were the king's guests and staying in his castle?"

"No, we were not. Our king was most busy back then. My father and I were not the only ones who had lost their homes and all they possessed. Day after day such helpless people, or ones plagued by other troubles appealed to our king to save them. You know just as I do that our dear Anju was one of them, as was I and my father before her."

The good Malon nodded in somber silence.

Knowing that her victory was near the wise, fair Zelda went on to say, "As kind a host our king had wanted to be, he could not spend much time speaking with me or my dear father. And neither could he do so often. It was usually the stern Lady Impa with whom we were together. And when the chance presented itself to our king to speak to me, he would usually ask about my father's well-being and mine as well. If not this, he would ask me how we, the commonfolk, were managing with all the sorrow brought about and left behind by that dreadful war, and if I could think of anything that he, our king, could do to further help us, his people."

"Very well..." said the good Malon, quietly admitting her defeat.

"Dear Malon! Dear Zelda! Everyone!"

Both farmmaids, like all the others, looked up and saw the red-haired Anju running as fast as her feet could carry her.

"Dear Anju!" asked the good Malon worriedly, "Has something happened?"

The slim farmmaid struggled hard to breathe and speak, "The king's... owl...! The Lady... Impa...!"

"The Lady Impa?" asked the good Malon. She looked over to the fair Zelda, but alas she had no answers, "Has she come here?"

"Yes!" managed the slim Anju to say, "And...!"

"And...?"

"The king is coming!" brought out the slim Anju, "The Lady Impa said so! He is already on his way! He will arrive before long!"

"Oh you goddesses!" exclaimed the good Malon.

"Everyone!" called out the wise, fair Zelda, "Gather up the dishes, quick! And then head all of you to the farmgate!"

As the farmmaids hurried to gather everything, the red-haired Malon quietly spoke to the fair Zelda.

"Dear Zelda, what is the meaning of this? Have you any idea why the king is coming here this sudden? Surely he cannot be coming here to look for a bride!"

All her earlier words had been nothing more than good-natured jest and tease, and both farmmaids had known this.

"I do not know..." answered the fair Zelda, "The only reason I can think of is that the king wishes to see if everything here is in lawful order..."

The wise, fair maiden stood up and hurried to the farmgate, her friend, the good Malon right beside her.

"You did best pray to the golden three that nothing here is amiss. Woe to us, woe to him responsible, if there is and the king comes to carry out Nayru's justice."

It did not happen often, but there were times when the wise, fair Zelda's wits failed her.

And this was such a rare time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About "the king's owl"... while I was writing this chapter, I just suddenly remembered that RyoshiMorino (a writer on FFN; not sure if he’s here on AO3 as well) called Link "the queen's wolf” in his story "A Hero's Heroine." For some reason that prompted me to call Impa "the king's owl" in mine.  
> And maybe, in another story I'll refer to the sheikah as "castle owls."  
> Although that term is not necessarily meant to be flattering.  
> I had a brief scenario going through my mind, wherein Impa confronts a Gerudo and the Gerudo mockingly calls her king's/queen's owl or castle owl, to which Impa responds with desert...?   
> Well, I guess I’d go with the term “Desert Fox,” as suggested by my reader BadRomComWrites, since the only desert animals I know of that kinda remind me of the Gerudo is the jackal or coyote.  
> Doesn't really matter anyway; for now. Neither that scenario nor the terms "castle owl, desert fox" will make an appearance in "The queen's most precious treasure."  
> I might use them in a future project though.  
> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.  
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no response from my readers?  
> Well, let's see if this chapter is good enough to get some feedback out of them.

It was not long until the king's carriage drove into the farm and only little longer until the young king stepped out. His eyes passed over the landlord, the burly Talon, and over all his farm help.

Then the young king laughed.

"By Farore, what happened to you and your people Master Talon? It is a peaceful, happy day yet you look as though you angered Farore and she sent a stormwind to blow through your farm!"

The land lord looked down in embarrassment, while his daughter, the good Malon hurriedly plucked out some haystalks caught in his clothes.

"Forgive me your highness, I was working in the stables just now, feeding the horses and bringing in some hay..." said the burly landlord, though in truth he had been napping in a pile of hay, as he usually did in the afternoons.

"How good of you to look after the horses yourself and take part in the stablework when you have all the stableboys you need," said the young king though in truth he did not believe one word the burly landlord said.

The young king let his gaze wander again. He pretended not to see the farmmaids who did their best to smoothen their messy hair which had come disheveled in their rush to the farmgates. He did not wish to embarrass them.

However, when his eyes fell upon the wise, fair Zelda, they stilled for an instant.

"What have you come here for, your majesty?" asked the burly landlord Talon.

"Nothing much, nor worth of mention..." replied the young king, "I am on my way to our good neighbor, the beautiful kingdom of Calatia, but since it is such a long road, with few towns to stop and rest in, I decided to make a short stop here..."

With that the young king turned to one of the soldiers who accompanied him. Said soldier stepped forward and handed the young king a small but heavy pouch of rupees which the young king handed over to the burly landlord Talon.

"Unharness our horses and see after them. They have a long road ahead of them. Better I let them enjoy a short break and another good feed before we head off for good," said the young king, and the burly landlord bowed in deference.

"The same is true for me and my men," continued the young king, "If your farmmaids could fix us a small meal, we would be most grateful. Of course I will reward them for their troubles as well as pay you for the food."

"It will be no trouble at all, your highness," said the good Malon with a bow, "Just bid you a bit your highness, you and your men, and we shall have a great feast prepared for you."

"Oh no, good, fair maid," said the young king with a laugh, "We already had an early but small lunch before we left the castle. There is no need for you and your friends to go so far out of your way as to prepare a whole feast for us. Please, some savory tea and a few buns of sweet bread would be more than enough. Although..." added the young king thoughtfully, "Seeing that we have such a nice, warm day today, I would be more grateful for something cool to drink."

The good Malon bowed compliantly, "As you wish your highness. It shall be done at once."

The young king chuckled.

"No need to be so eager and rush, fair maiden. Take all the time you need. I am certain my horses are grateful for this rest and I too am happy to be out of that carriage and eager to walk. In fact..." trailed off the young king and he looked round again, "I have heard so much about how great your farmlands are and are doing, Master Talon, and I wish to see this with my own eyes.

"Is there any capable maid or lad here, who could guide me around and tell me about everything I see? One who knows about everything here on your farmlands and who can answer any and all questions that I might have?"

The wise, fair Zelda promptly felt her heart sink, as though brought about by betrayal.

For the burly Talon, the red-haired, good Malon, the slim Anju, and all the other farmworkers and farmmaids, and even her own father, the old Daphnes, had at once turned to look at her to do this task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.  
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	4. Chapter 4

While the red-haired Malon and all the other farmmaids busied themselves in the kitchens, the fair Zelda led the young king around the farm, and the stern Impa followed them, just a few steps behind.

The pretty maid showed them the corrals, with the running stallions and the prancing foals. She showed them the orchards with the fruiting trees and the humming bees. And she showed them the fields with the ripening grains and the growing greens.

But the wise, fair Zelda soon noticed that the young king was not much interested in seeing what she showed him.

After a while, the prudent Zelda decided to ask, "Is there anything or anywhere in particular, here on this farm, that you would like to see, your highness?"

The young king shook his head, "No, no there is not. Lead on fair Zelda."

The prudent Zelda hesitated a moment before she ventured to say, "Your highness, if you will forgive me, may I ask you a question?"

The young king minded not, "Go ahead, fair maiden, ask your question."

"It does not seem as though you are truly interested in what I show you, your highness," remarked the wise, fair Zelda, "Your mind seems to be somewhere else. Is it that something troubles you, your highness?"

The young king looked only little surprised that she had noticed.

"You are as observant as you were back when you and your old father stayed in the castle as my guests," he said simply.

After a moment he spoke again.

"Fair Zelda."

"Yes, your highness?"

"I have heard that people come to you for your advice. Is this true?"

"People have indeed come to me seeking my advice," replied the wise, fair Zelda.

"Well then, today _I_ have come to you for your advice."

The fair Zelda knew not what to say. True enough, many people had come to see her for her advice. Farmmaids, stableboys, the baker, the miller, the innkeeper, even the blacksmith and the village mayor.

But never a man or woman of high birth, let alone a king.

"But your highness," said the confused Zelda, "I am but a lowly farmmaid. What advice could I possibly give to the king of our land?"

"Let us see," said the young king, "I shall tell you my troubles and then you give me whether advice you can think of."

The young king strode to walk in stride with the wise, fair Zelda.

"My troubles lie in the fact that I have to find myself a wife."

The fair Zelda was surprised to hear this, "Why does this trouble you, your highness?"

"Because I know of no maiden nor lady I would wish to wed. Truth be told, I do not wish to wed in the first place."

The fair Zelda said nothing but was again surprised to hear this.

Seeing this, the young king decided to explain, "When my good uncle still lived and ruled, it mattered little whether I wed or not. He was alive, he was well and I... I was free to wed whomever I wanted, whenever I wanted... if I ever wanted."

The young king looked up thoughtfully.

"Perhaps it was because I had this freedom that I gave so little thought into finding myself a wife... To me, my wedding was always a faraway thing in the distant days to come... I was just a young man, eager to see the world, eager to find myself. So I spent my time playing with the sword, hunting in the wild, and riding through the land... and so spent very little time with the fairer sex..."

The young king sighed sadly.

"But now that freedom is gone... My good uncle has departed, slayed by the treacherous, vile Ganondorf. Now I bear the crown and I am all there is of the royal family. I have no successors and if I die the nobles in the land will take up arms against each other to gain the crown and plunge Hyrule into another war, this time against herself. Which is why I must find myself a wife, the sooner the better, so that she can bear my children and heirs, the sooner the better, the more the better."

The fair Zelda promptly blushed at the young king's words.

The young king sighed and shook his head.

"Had I known this was to happen I would have put my old freedom to good use and enjoyed the company of every lovely damsel in the land who was willing..."

"AHEM!" made the stern Impa it known that she was still with them.

"Only during the rare times my knightly duties would permit such of course," was the young king quick to add.

The fair Zelda knew not what to say, what advice to give her young king.

"Is there truly no lady or maiden that has captured your heart?" she at last ventured to ask.

"None," said the young king at once with conviction and without hesitation.

"Is there no lady or maiden you feel yourself at least attracted to?" the fair Zelda continued to ask.

The young king took a moment to think before he answered.

"There is a girl or two whom I find attractive, most pleasant to the eye, but as to go so far as to say that I feel myself attracted to... no, I cannot say that I truly do."

Once again the fair Zelda was surprised to hear this.

"But you are our king. And have been so now for two years," she pointed out, "Do you not meet with princesses and highborn ladies all the time?"

"These past two years I have pretty much met every single maiden and woman there is here in Hyrule, wedded and unwedded, highborn and commoner. Noble ladies and princesses from neighboring countries I have met as well. But there lies the problem, I have only met them, I did not actually get to know them. I had much to do to rebuild our land. The vile Ganondorf and his raiders saw to that!"

The wise, fair Zelda nodded solemnly.

She had not stayed long in the castle being the king's guest but she had seen busy the young king had been in those few days. Back then he'd had no time for leisure. As soon as he had resolved one dilemma, another had been brought before him. And more often than not when he had made a decision, the lives of dozens if not hundreds had rested on it.

The wise Zelda also still remembered the dark, frightful day... the night, the vile Ganondorf's raiders had come to her province, to her farm, astride their long-tusked great-boars. She had not forgotten how they had rained fire upon her farmhouse, her home, and upon the homes of many others. She had not forgotten how they had fallen upon her friends and fellow villagers like a starving pack of wolves upon a frightened flock of sheep. She had not forgotten how her dear father, the old Daphnes, and herself had barely escaped with nothing but their own lives.

"To make matters more difficult..." brought the young king's voice the wise, fair Zelda back to the present, "Among all the noblewomen and princesses who have been presented to me so far, not one gave me the impression that she would not only make a true, loyal wife but a strong, capable queen ruling alongside me as well."

Again, the fair Zelda was surprised by the king's words…

"You intend to have your wife rule alongside you?"

…for back in those days there were not many men who would let their women or any women do so.

"I see no reason, or sense, in placing a crown on a woman's head, or anyone's head for that matter, and seating her on a throne if she then does not rule," replied the young king, "And it has no appeal to me to have a wife who does little more than squander my rupees and bear my children. Nay, if I am to wed, it must be to a woman that I can be proud of to call my wife. A strong woman who is proud of who she is and is right in being so. I want a proud queen who will rule by my side, and one who is strong in mind, will and spirit, and will not break if I have to go to war and fall, and who will carry on with life, and will continue to rule the kingdom and raise our children."

The wise, fair Zelda took a moment to think over what her king had just told her.

"You ask for much," she said at last.

"I can hardly ask for less," replied the young king, "It is not just my happiness that is at stake here, but also the good of Hyrule, and that of my children as well."

"Yet it is cruel of you to expect your wife to take on your responsibilities, both as king and as father, while you go off to fight in a war, perhaps never to return."

"Do you think it is kind to us men that the golden three decreed that we must answer to the call of war and leave our warm, cozy homes and the company of our loving wives and dear sweet children behind, to go off to bloody fields of battle to meet hostile men, armed with blade and spear, who mean to kill us?"

The fair Zelda, for all her wits, knew not how to respond to that.

The young king sighed.

"Were the Lady Impa not twice my age, old enough to be my aunt, but younger, as young as myself or you, I might consider taking her as my wife…"

"Were you not my king now, but still the young, troublesome lad entrusted to me to train in the art of swordsmanship and the code of chivalry, I would pick up a good, sturdy cudgel and give you a hefty whack on the head for those insolent words!"

"Well then..." said the young king, not daring to look behind, "I thank almighty Din and all-knowing Nayru then that I am the king and bear the crown."

"Well then, your highness," came the fair Zelda to rescue her young king, "aside from the lovely, fair Impa, who else would you consider to take as your wife?" she asked with a wink at the stern Impa.

"Careful now! Be mindful of how you speak of the Lady Impa!" warned her the young king, "If you think she will let you off easy simply because you are a maiden then you are quite mistaken. She is a woman herself. That whack on the head she promised me? If it would be any harder than the one she would give you, that would only be because she knows what my head can endure. But since you asked," continued the young king, "There is a princess from a neighboring country who has caught my eye, but I will not have her. Nor will she have me."

The fair Zelda was confused by the king's reply.

"What do you mean your highness? Why won't you take this princess to be your wife if she has caught your eye?"

Because the princess I speak of is none other than Princess Hilda of Lorule," responded the young king, "She will make a mighty queen one day... nay. Truth be told, she already  _is_  the undisputed queen of Lorule, even though she has yet to be crowned as such. One such as her I would be proud to call myself her husband. But I cannot have her. She is the last of Lorule's royal family, just as I am the last there is of Hyrule's royal family. If we were to wed, one of us would have to leave their homeland. I have no intention of leaving Hyrule, and Princess Hilda would sooner die than leave her homeland for another. Furthermore, although she is a capable ruler, she is also known to be somewhat ruthless. She also cares for Lorule and her people alone, she pays other countries no thought nor mind. Not if Lorule does not profit from them. If by some strange design she did agree to become my wife, I fear it would be for Lorule's sake, regardless of what that would mean for Hyrule."

The fair Zelda grew silent and thoughtful. Then she sighed.

"Forgive me your highness but I know not how to help you. I can think of no advice I can give you."

"Very well then," said the young king, "in that case I would like to know your thoughts in regards to a plan of mine."

The fair Zelda curiously tilted her head.

"What plan is this you speak of, your highness?"

"A plan that will bring me the wife that I wish for, and Hyrule the queen she needs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think?  
> That part about the young king wanting a capable wife... that wasn't part of the original tale, that was me. In the original it wasn't mentioned why the king decided to marry, and what kind of woman for what reason.  
> As for me... well, the idea of having some dumb trophy wife doesn't appeal to me one bit. And I can't really understand why some men would want such.
> 
> Well, you know the drill:  
> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated. You are also welcome to send me private messages.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.  
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	5. Chapter 5

"First off," began the young king, "I am thinking of taking a maiden of the common folk as my wife."

Again, the fair Zelda was surprised by the young king's words, "What prompted that idea in you, your highness?"

"You did, fair Zelda," replied the young king.

He took note of surprise on the fair maiden's face and went on, "Back when I was just a young swordsman, though my uncle was the king, I did not consider myself a noble. Nay, I thought I was more of a commoner than that. I had always thought that I knew what the life and troubles of a peasant were like...

"But I was wrong, you showed me this. All those pleasant, but few, talks and walks we shared when you were my guest they made it clear to me that I knew not that much of the common man's life. All those years, I have been merely a humble but naive prince with a fondness for the peasantry, I see that now. Which is why I think it a wise course if I were to take a maiden of the common folk as my wife…

"A knowledgeable one. She should now whether or not my decisions would better the lives of the commonfolk. She should know whether or not a new tax would ensure order in the land or bring misery upon the people. She should know whether or not my decrees benefit all the people of Hyrule, or just the very few."

The wise, fair Zelda carefully thought over what she had just heard.

"At first glance this course seems indeed a wise path to choose..." started the prudent Zelda, "But you, your highness are the king of this land. Are you not obliged to wed a lady of noble descent?"

"No, I am not," replied the young king, "There is no law of Nayru's that forbids the union of a noble and a commoner. Before the goddesses, there are no nobles, there are no peasants. Before the goddesses, we are all the same, people, mortals. Nayru does not only impose laws to restrict us to preserve order, she also declares rights and freedoms so that we can enjoy our lives. And this freedom to wed out of love whomever you wish, is one such freedom declared by her."

"But what of the noble clans and families, your highness?" asked the prudent Zelda, "Will they not take insult if you do not marry one of their daughters?"

"They will, but there is nothing that they can do," answered the young king with a stern face, "Nayru's laws are absolute. Not even the king of Hyrule may do anything that goes against them.

"Furthermore, when I was crowned, I vowed that I would serve Hyrule for the rest of my life, and that I would protect this land and its people, and that I would do whatever is in my power to do what is good for this land and all this inhabitants. And taking the hand in marriage of one of those princesses or noble ladies I have met so far, I regret to say, would mean breaking my kingly vows.

"Who is to become my wife, and the next queen of Hyrule is my decision. Mine and mine alone... Oh! And it is the maiden's decision as well of course," added the young king, "After all, I cannot force her to be my wife."

"But will such a choice not reflect badly on you, my lord?" asked again the prudent Zelda.

"Only if I choose a woman unworthy of the throne, or one who is hated by the people and yet even so I crown her."

"But where in Hyrule, or in all the lands, will you find a common maid worthy of the crown, milord?" asked the prudent Zelda, "What peasant girl would know how to rule a kingdom? Most common maids I would not even know how to speak you, your highness."

The young king thought this over.

"You speak true... there probably is no such commonborn maiden anywhere," admitted the young king, "But then again, I have not found a maiden worthy of the crown among the nobility either..."

The young king took a moment to think.

"My councilors and I would have to train her until she is worthy to rule alongside me..."

Again, the fair Zelda looked at the young king with surprise.

"Can you learn how to be a queen, your highness? Can you learn how to rule a country?"

"Not quite," answered the young king, "There are many things that one has to know before he can rule. And these things can be taught and can be learned. But whether one becomes a good ruler ultimately rests on that person himself, on whether that person is worthy in the first place."

"And you think that you can find such a maiden among the peasantry?" asked the fair Zelda incredulously.

"Why should I be wrong to think such?" asked the young king, "You do not find jewels, all cut and sparkling, in beautiful flowerfields. Nay, you find them all dull and ugly in dirty mud or deep inside grey, dreary-looking rock. A rough diamond does not look like a diamond at all before you cut it, instead it looks like a dull, worthless piece of rockcrystal. It is only when you manage to find this dirty crystal among all the other rocks and cut it and polish it that it comes to sparkle like a star."

"So you think that Hyrule's next queen could be hidden among the peasantry of Hyrule and all you have to do is find her and train her?"

"Indeed," replied the young king, "I myself was brought up to be a knight, not the next king, and I was not even very committed to my training for knighthood…"

Behind him, the stern Impa glared. Both in agreement and disapproval.

"That life was simply too... rigid for my taste. If I had not been under the strict guidance of the Lady Impa..." trailed the young king off nervously.

"In any case, nobody back then would have thought that I would be crowned the next king of Hyrule, and much less that I would make a good king, none less than myself, and yet here I am, I bear the crown now and the people seem to accept me as their ruler."

"Indeed they do, your highness," assured him the wise, fair Zelda.

"Well then, if one such as I, a young knight-in-training who was only little committed his duties has learned how to rule a kingdom and so far makes a good king, then I honestly cannot see why a maid born of the common folk, with the right mind and the right heart and the right tutelage cannot make a good queen."

The prudent Zelda carefully thought over everything the young king had told her.

"And you are certain that you, your highness, and your advisers can teach a common maid everything that she must know to be a queen?"

The young king thought for a moment.

"Yes... we should be able to do so..." said the young king haltingly, "However, the maid in question would have to be a clever one, or else, not only would she not learn, the whole effort would be for naught."

The fair Zelda looked at the young king in a curious manner.

"What do you mean, your highness?"

"It is not enough that she learns everything we teach her and that she keeps everything in mind," began the young king to explain, "That knowledge that we would impart unto her is not just meant to be known, it is meant to be used, just as all knowledge should. Even if the maid knows everything she must, even if she cares for her people and means well... if her mind is not sharp enough to put all that knowledge to the right use, for the good of her people, then she will still not make a good queen.

That is yet another reason I have decided against marrying any of the princesses and noble ladies who were introduced to me, you would not believe if I told you how simple-minded, _and_ shallow-minded, some highborns are."

The prudent Zelda again thought carefully over everything that she had been told.

"The way you speak of this, your highness, this scheme of yours might just work..." said the wise, fair Zelda, "But there is still one matter, or rather problem. You, your highness, seek a maiden of common birth who is most knowledgeable of the commoner's life. You seek a maiden of common birth who is noble of character and true of heart. You seek a maiden of common birth who is most strong of mind and strong of will. You seek a maiden of common birth who will be a faithful wife to you and a loving mother to your children. You seek a maiden of common birth so intelligent that she can be taught to be a queen and will successfully fulfill that role and serve the people of Hyrule well.

"If you will forgive me for saying so your highness, where in Nayru's name will you find such a commonborn maiden?"

The young king took a moment before he replied, though to some it may have seemed as though he'd had the answer on hand the whole time.

"I may have just found her…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was the wise, fair Zelda I would quote Guybrush Threepwood from Monkey Island now, "Yikes!"  
> What would you girls among my readers do?  
> I hate repeating myself but...  
> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.  
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	6. Chapter 6

The fair Zelda froze. So did her heart. But praised be Farore for it was only for an instant.

Still, she struggled to speak, "Y-you... you have already found her, your highness?"

"I think so," said the young king, "Now that I think of it, the more I consider her, the more suited she this maiden appears.

"But now another question has come that needs answering."

The young king turned to look at the fair Zelda.

"Will she agree to take art in this peculiar plan of mine?"

The fair Zelda knew not what to say, how to answer her young king. Her wits, for which she was renowned appeared to have deserted her.

"F-forgive me, milord," managed the fair Zelda finally to bring out, "But I do not know what to say! I cannot even begin to imagine myself as a queen!"

"Neither did I nor could I back when I was but a young knight in training, though the king of Hyrule was my good uncle, but now I am the king and I would not have it any other way," replied the young king, "I even dare say that it is for the best that I am Hyrule's king now, if only to deny all the unworthy nobles the throne."

"But milord," said the frightened Zelda, "You expect me to become Hyrule's next ruling queen... it is too grand! It is too frightening!"

The young king looked at the fair maid in a curious manner, "You are afeared of the crown?"

It did not take the fair Zelda long to answer, "I am, your highness..."

"You are quite right to be so, and I see it as a good sign that you are. I would even say it proves that you are worthy," said the young king, "Most people think of the crown as sort of blessing, as a artifact that grants riches and power. But in truth it is a dreadful burden that causes you much worry and fear. There are times when the crown on your head causes you to feel more dread and fear than a dagger at your throat would...

"But you need not fear just yet, fair Zelda, I will not force a burden such as that upon you if that is something you wish not to." said the young king at once when he saw the fair Zelda's heart sink, "But I do wish to see if you could."

The frightened Zelda looked up with uncertainty, "What do you mean, your highness?"

The young king took a good, long moment to think.

"What I am thinking is this..." began the young kin to speak, "You shall come to the castle with me and you shall be my guest again. But more than that, you shall be my fiancee..."

The fair Zelda inhaled sharply. She had forgotten that if she accepted not only would she agree to bear the crown as Hyrule's next queen and rule alongside her young king... she would also agree to lay with him in the same bed and to bear his children!

It was then at that moment that the fair Zelda felt herself compelled to speak.

"Milord?"

The young king looked at the fair maiden curiously, "What is it, fair Zelda?"

"Milord, this scheme of yours would have us wed..."

The young king remained silent for a moment, "Indeed it would."

"But, milord, we barely know one another..." said the prudent Zelda, "Do you truly intend to wed a maiden you barely know?"

The young king took another good, long moment to think.

"You speak truly, I do indeed know you only barely," agreed the young king at last, "But then again, those princesses and noble ladies that have been presented to me, I know them even less. However... that plan of mine should see to that as well."

"W-what do you mean, your highness?"

"As you stay with me in the castle, not only shall you learn all that must be known to rule and to govern... you shall learn about me as well," said the young king, "You shall learn to know me, just as I shall learn to know about you. And then... and then we shall know.

"If you prove yourself worthy of the crown and of my heart, and if you are willing to be Hyrule's next queen as well as my wife... only then will I wed you and crown you. But if you fail to meet any of these conditions, the worthiness to rule, the worthiness to wed me, the willingness to be crowned, the willingness to be wedded to me... then I shall have you returned this farm," explained the young king, "So what think you, fair Zelda? Are you willing to come to the castle with me? Are you willing to see whether or not you are worthy of being Hyrule's next queen? Are you willing to see whether or not I could be your husband, and you my wife?"

But the fair Zelda still knew not what to say, what to answer her young king. Her wits, for which she was so renowned, seemingly had not the slightest intentions of returning to her, coming to her aid.

"...you cannot give me an answer I see..." noted the young king, "Very well, I realize that it is much I ask of you... Think you that you can give me an answer this coming halfmoon?"

The fair Zelda looked questioningly at the young king, "This coming halfmoon, what mean you, your highness?"

"If you will recall, I am going to Calatia for a visit," said the young king, "And there I will remain for several days. The journey itself all the way to Calatia and back will also require a couple of days, as such I will be gone from Hyrule for about a halfmoon. When I return, I shall make a stop here on Master Talon's farm again, I will seek you out again, and ask whether you have come to a decision. Would that suit you, fair Zelda? Would a halfmoon be enough time for you to decide?"

The fair Zelda was not at all certain, but she still nodded.

The young king smiled gently, "I shall see you then in a halfmoon, fair Zelda..."

The young king then turned towards the sun, "I think it time to return to the farmhouse... If you will lead the way, fair Zelda?"

With that, the fair Zelda led the young king and the stern Lady Impa back to the farmhouse.

...

Not much later, the young king, his men, and the stern lady Impa had eaten their small, but delectable meal, and were entering the carriage again, or mounting their horses, who were quite cheerful after their good feed and rest, and were eager to be out on the road again.

Before the young king and his entourage left, the stern Impa handed all the stableboys who had tended to the horses and all the farmmaids who had prepared that delightful meal a small but generous reward each.

When last she came to the lost, fair Zelda she spoke to her in a low voice.

"I beg your discretion, fair Zelda," said the knightly lady, "What has been spoken between you and our king is best known to no one other than us. Best let no one know of what was said."

"No one? Not even my father?" asked the lost, fair Zelda, "Not the good Malon, not the landlord Talon?"

The stern Impa shook her head, "Nay, no one, not even them."

"But noble lady... I need to speak with them, I need to let them know..." said the lost, fair Zelda, "I cannot make this decision on my own, I must know they think of it. Who will look after my old father should I go? Who will help my dear Malon and the landlord Talon once I have gone?"

The stern Impa thought over the young maiden's words. Then she sighed.

"Very well..." said she, "But see to it that they let no one else know. At least, until we feel the time right to let them do so."

The fair Zelda nodded in compliance, "I promise to do so, Lady Impa."

The stern Impa nodded back with a smile.

Then she swung herself unto her horse and off went the young king and his retinue to Calatia...

...leaving behind a very lost, troubled farmmaiden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	7. Chapter 7

When the young king and his entourage had gone, the fair Zelda was approached by her dear friends, the good Malon, the slim Anju, and all the other farmmaids.

"Dear Zelda, what has happened to you?" asked the good Malon, "You look so frightened and lost..."

The lost, fair Zelda gave her friends a sweet but weak smile.

"Fear not, everyone, you need not worry about me" said she, "Come, it is high time that we see to the farm again."

But despite her own words, all throughout the rest of that day the lost, fair Zelda could not focus on her duties. Her mind kept drifting to the young king and what he had said to her.

Of course this did not go unnoticed by her dear friends and all the other farmhelpers.

Which is why on the eve of that day, when the lost, fair Zelda had retired to the room which she shared with the slim Anju and two other farmmaids, three knocks made themselves heard on their door.

"Someone is at the door," called out of the lost, fair Zelda's friends. Had she not done so, the lost Zelda would not have known it.

"I will go and see," said the slim Anju and went to the door, "Dear Zelda, it is your father!"

"My father?" asked the lost, fair Zelda in a confused tone. She promptly went to the door herself, "Father? Why are you here? Why are you not in bed? Tomorrow you will work on the farm again, you need your rest."

"You need not worry about me, my dear child..." said the old Daphnes, "But you... you have given us, me and all your dear friends, much reason to worry."

"Me? I gave you reason to worry?" asked the surprised, fair Zelda, "What reason have I given you?"

"What reason you ask?" asked the old Daphnes, "This day you have been acting most strangely. Usually, when you see to your duties on the farm, you put your full mind to it. And whenever you walk around, you are most attentive and nothing escapes your notice. But all this day your mind was somewhere else and you barely took notice of what happened around you."

"Your dear father speaks true, dear Zelda. After you showed the king around you have been like a ghost," said the slim Anju, " Do not tell me something dreadful happened as you showed him around."

The far Zelda shook her head.

"No, dear Anju, nothing dreadful happened... at least..." said the fair Zelda slowly, "It is not right to say so."

"Then what did happen, my dear child?" asked the old Daphnes.

The fair Zelda took a moment to think. Then she sighed.

"Very well, father dear... perhaps it is best indeed if I tell you now. But our landlord, Master Talon, must also hear what I am about to tell you. And our dear Malon too, I feel, must hear."

"Very well child," said the old Daphnes, "I shall go and call Master Talon."

The fair Zelda looked up in surprise, "Father, it is already late! Surely, Master Talon is already long abed, you know how he is."

"Fret not, my child," said the old Daphnes, "I am quite sure that he is still awake. After all, it was he who asked me to go and see you."

The fair Zelda was surprised to hear this, "Master Talon asked you to come and see me?"

The old Daphnes nodded his grey head, "That he did child. He too saw how spooked you were this afternoon, so he came to me and asked me to go and see whether or not you were fine. Though truth be told, I had already intended to do so before he asked."

"Well then it is decided, dear Zelda," piped up the slim Anju, "Your father will go and bring Master Talon, and I will go and fetch our dear Malon. And then you, dear Zelda, will tell us all what has spooked you so this day."

The fair Zelda sighed again, "Very well, dear Anju... we will do it that way. Dear father, and you dear Anju, tell the MAster Talon and the dear Malon to wait for me in the dining room. I will go to the kitchens and fix us all a little something to eat."

The old farmer and the slim farmmaid nodded and off went the three.

...

Not much later, they were all seated around the dining table, the old Daphnes, the good Malon, and the burly landlord Talon. And the slim Anju sat with them as well.

The two farmers and the two farmmaids were anxiously waiting for the fair Zelda to tell them what had spooked her so that day. Alas, all the fair maid did was to give them each a small plate of biscuits and a mug of cool cowmilk.

Finally, the red-haired Malon spoke up.

"Enought of this, dear Zelda, do not make us wait any longer. Tell us, what has happened? What spooked you so earlier this day?"

The lost, fair Zelda started.

Then she sighed.

"Forgive me, dear Malon, I did not mean to make you all wait. But there is much I have to tell, yet I know not how nor where to start..." said the troubled, fair Zelda, "Before I start though, I must ask all of you to swear to tell no one of what I am about to tell you. No matter the reason, you must remain silent on this."

The two farmers and the two farmmaids looked at one another perplexed.

At last the old Daphnes spoke for them all.

"Very well my dear child... If you wish us to keep your words secret, then we will do so," said the old farmer, and the others nodded in agreement.

So the fair Zelda began.

"Dear Malon, do you remember what you told me, our dear Anju, and all our other dear friends when we had this cheerful picnic this noontime?"

"Huh?" asked the good Malon, "You mean what I heard in town about our young ki- Dear Zelda!" cried out the red-haired farmmaid, "You do mean to say-?!"

The fair, Zelda sighed almost miserably, "Apparently, I need not even make use of my wits to become the king's wife..."

"Oh my, dear Zelda!" cried out the slim Anju excitedly, "The king came here to ask for your hand?!"

"Now hold on, you three maidens," said the old Daphnes, "My child, what is this you say?"

"Whe nI drove into town this morning to deliver our milk, I heard people say that our king is searching for a wife," answered the good Malon. Then she turned to look at her dear friend, the fair Zelda, "But I heard that our king would pick his bride from among the nobility... yet, he chose you, dear Zelda?"

"No, not quite, dear Malon..." said the fair Zelda somewhat miserably.

"Then do explain, my dear child," said the old Daphnes.

"Very well, father dear..."

And so the lost fair Zelda told them.

She told them about the walk she had shared with the young king just that afternoon.

She told them how the young king was expected to wed soon.

She told them how the young king sought not only for a maiden who be a loyal wife to him, but also a capable queen who would rule Hyrule alongside him.

She told them how the young king had not found a maiden as such among the princesses and highborn ladies presented to him.

She told them how thus the young king intended to choose instead a maiden from the commoner's folk and to train her until she would be fit to be Hyrule's next queen.

She told them how the young king thought that she, the fair Zelda, might be maiden he sought and how he had asked her to come with him to the castle, so that they both would come to know.

And she told them how, in the end, she had been unable to give the young king an answer and how the young king would return to ask again, after a halfmoon had passed.

All throughout the fair Zelda's recount, the two farmers and the two young farmmaids had been siletn, and even after the fair Zelda had ceased to speak, they remained so.

At last the good Malon said, "By the golden goddesses, dear Zelda... So our young king wishes you to come and live with him in his castle so that he may see if you could be his wife and our next queen..."

The lost, fair Zelda nodded almost sadly, "Yes... so it is, dear Malon..."

"Why do you look so miserable, dear Zelda?" asked the slim Anju, "This is our young king we speak of! He is the most dashing young man in the land! He is kind and cares for his people. He saved us all from the vile Ganondorf and his army of raiders, and he helped us survive and rebuild all throughout that harsh time that followed that horrible war. Why, none of us would have lived to be here had it not been for our young king!

And do not forget, dear Zelda, should you be wedded to our king, your life will be better than it ever was before. Just imagine, you would have servants waiting on you all day long... you could feast on the finest dishes every day... you would be dressed in the most beautiful dresses..."

The fair Zelda sighed again.

"What you speak is all true, dear Anju..." admitted the fair Zelda, "But I still feel no desire to go with our king..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	8. Chapter 8

The two farmer's and the two farmmaids were astonished to hear this.

"...our king offers you the chance to become his wife, to live with him in a splendid castle, and you want nothing of it?!" asked the satonished Malon.

"My dear child!" exclaimed now the old Daphnes, "I cannot believe you. If you will not have a king as your husband, then who will you have?"

The fair Zelda took a moment to think.

"To be honest..." said the lost, fair Zelda, "I do not know..."

"Well then, why not see if our young king is the right man for you?" asked the burly landlord Talon.

"Because I do not wish to leave you all..." said the lost, fair Zelda.

Again, the two farmers and the two young farmmaids were astonished to hear her words.

"If I go with our king, I would have to leave you all and this farm.

If I go with our king, I'd stay at his castle until he deems me fit or unfit to be his wife and Hyrule's next queen, and the goddesses know when he would do so.

If I go with our king, I may never return to this farm, to you all, and I think not that my heart could bear that..."

Still, the two farmers and the two young farmmaids knew not what to say.

At last the burly landlord Talon asked incredulously, "You do not wish to leave my farm...?"

The lost, fair Zelda shook her head, "No, how could I? This farm here is my home! And everyone here is a dear friend to me-"

But then she stopped herself.

"...except, perhaps, for the ill-tempered Ingo..."

After this, for a good while, no one spoke.

But then the fair Zelda decided to speak again, "I love this farm, and everyone on it..."

She turned to look at the burly landlord Talon.

"Good Master Talon, you took me and my dear old father in during that harsh time, after that dreadful war brought about by the vile Ganondorf. You gave us food to eat, and a place to sleep, even though you had very little to give beyond what you needed for yourself, your good daughter, our dear Malon, and your farm...and for that I will always be grateful to you..."

The fair Zelda then turned to face her dear friend, the good Malon.

"You too, dear Malon, have been most good to me and my dear old father. You welcomed us with open arms, you befriended us on the first day we came to your farm, and you helped us and looked after us whenever you could...

"Why, that sad day the young king tore my poor old father from me after I found that accursed, jeweled silver dagger you comforted me right away. And soon as I had told you of the dilemma that had befallen my poor old father, you offered to help me.

"When my poor old father had been imprisoned, you two looked after me.

"When I had to find the sheath to that accursed silver dagger, you two dug alongside me for many a long days in the hot sun, though there was countless that needed to be done before winter came.

"And when I had to unravel the king's riddle to prove my wits to the young king, you, dearest Malon, came with me and helped me all the way. I could have never freed my dear old father had it not been for your help, dearest Malon.

"So how could I possibly leave this farm? How could I possibly leave you, good Master Talon and my dear Malon, after all that you have done for me and my dear old father? How could I possibly leave after all that kindness, generosity and hospitality you have given us? I love you, dearest Malon, as though you were my own sister, and I love you, good Master Talon, as though you were my uncle."

Hearing her dear friend speak like this brought tears to the eyes of the good Malon...

But it brought many more to the eyes of the burly landlord Talon.

"Oh my dear, sweet child... I knew not how much our friendship meant to you..." he sniffled, "But you need not feel indebted to us... whatever kindness we have given you , you have repaid, over a times over..."

"My father speaks true, dearest Zelda," said now the good Malon, "My father and I may have given you food to eat and a place to live, but it was only with the help of you and your good old father that we could keep our farm and fields... and our lives...

"That dreadful war that was brought about by the dark warlord, the vile Ganondorf, has not left us and our farm untouched. His raiders set many of our fields ablaze and have carried off many of our cattle as they were out grazing in our meadows. Many of our friends and farmhelpers had fled, fearing the dark warlord would come for them next, but we, my father and I, we chose to stay, for this is our only home.

"Had our good king not send you to us, an old but knowledgeable and vigorous farmer and a dutiful, clever farmmaid, we may not have managed to make ends meet before the coming of winter. We may have had to sell our livestock or our fields, just so that we could have lived through that harsh winter that came after that dreadful war that left many without a home and the means to stay alive.

"So fear not, dearest Zelda, you have helped us, just as much as we have helped you, and many times more.

"It is thanks to you, dearest Zelda, that we have plenty to eat and plenty to sell...

"It is thanks to you, dearest Zelda, that our poultry and livestock are all well and healthy...

"It is thanks to you, dearest Zelda, that all our orchards and vegetable gardens are all lush and bountiful...

"So do feel not that you are indebted to us, dearest Zelda. If you wish to leave this farm and pursue your own happiness, then you have all our blessings and best wishes, for none here on this farm deserves the best of happiness as much as you do."

The fair Zelda said nothing to this, if anything, she looked more lost than she did before.

"I still would not want to leave," she said at last, "Why, who would look after my dear old father when I have gone?"

"I would, dearest Zelda," said the good Malon at once.

"I would too, dear Zelda," said the slim Anju, "The good old Daphnes is loved by many here on this farm, as are you, dear Zelda. He is a kind, knowful grandfather to all of us. We would all look after him."

"And it is not as though I need looking after," spoke now the old Daphnes, "I may be old but I am not withered. I am still well and strong. My dear child," he said now to the lost, fair Zelda, "If you wish to go with the young king, then by all means do so."

"But father-"

"No child," cut her off the old Daphnes, "If you wish to go then go. All of your life you have been a good, dutiful daughter. Too dutiful. I feel in your constant worry about me you neglect your own happiness. It is high time that you start thinking for yourself. Time that you start thinking of finding yourself a husband and starting your own family."

"...Father dear..." said the lost, fair Zelda, "Do you wish me to go with our king...?"

"In a way I do," said the old Daphnes, "Of course I will miss you dearly... but your happiness is what is dearest to me. You are a wonderful maiden, and you deserve to have a wonderful husband at your side to spend your life with. More so, you deserve to have a joyful and carefree life. But much to my shame as your father, I cannot help you obtain all the happiness that you so rightly deserve.

"I have nothing to leave you. Our farm, our home built by our great-grandfathers has been burned to the ground by the vile Ganondorf's raiders. All I own now is a piece of land and a little bit of livestock. But you deserve so much more than that, my dearest child, and you deserve so much more than to be a simple farmmaid. I cannot give you all those things. I fear, I cannot even help obtain them.

"But the king, my dear child, I am sure is able to do so. Even if in the end the king does not deem you worthy, neither of his heart nor of the queen's crown, I still feel that this way you will find the happiness you so rightly deserve..."

"Your good father is right, my dear child," said the burly landlord Talon, "You indeed deserve more than to be a little farmmaid on someone else's farm, and you do deserve to have a grand husband. And there is none grander in our land than our king. Why, smart as you are, I imagine you would make a great queen," joked the burly landlord Talon at the end.

"Now that I think of it... it'd break my heart if you were to leave, dearest Zelda..." said the good Malon with a sad smile, "But your good father and mine are in the right. This chance our king is offering you is one that you must not let go. My good father and our dear Anju are right, our king is the best man there is here in Hyrule, you could not possibly find a better one. And the life you'd have, both as his wife and as our queen, too, is something that you should not just ignore... your dear father is right, you should indeed think more for yourself and for your own happiness... and father speaks true as well, you do deserve so much more than to be a humble farmmaid..."

"I do not want you to go either, dear Zelda..." said now the slim Anju, "But you really should not ignore the king's offer. Good fortune like this does not come along very often. Life, sadly, is not that kind. And more often then not must you cast aside things that are dear to you if you wish to know true happiness... And I'd much rather have you as my queen than some foreign princess or highborn noble lady who knows and cares little for Hyrule and her people," joked the slim Anju.

The fair Zelda said nothing. And for a good long while she would continue to say nothing.

But it was clear to see that the fair Zelda was in deep thought.

At last she spoke.

"I have decided..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	9. Chapter 9

"Dear Malon! Dear Zelda!"

The two pretty maids looked up from their work. They saw none other than their good friend, the slim Anju, hurrying towards them.

The fair Zelda looked at her dear friend in a concerned manner.

"What is it, dear Anju?" What has you so flustered?"

The slim Anju struggled to catch her breath.

"The… the king…!"

The fair Zelda's eyes widened, "The king?! Is he coming here?!"

The slim Anju nodded.

"I… think so… dear… Zelda…" she brought out, "I saw the… Lady Impa… approaching… just… over the hill!"

"Oh you goddesses!" exclaimed the fair Zelda, "Has it already been a halfmoon, since last he came here?!"

"It has!" cried the good Malon, "How fast time flies!"

"Come dear Malon!" said the wise, fair Zelda, "We must see the Lady Impa and tell the others!"

It was not long before the king's carriage drove into the farm again. And not much longer before the young king stepped out, again. The burly landlord Talon, his daughter, the red-haired good Malon, the good, old Daphnes, the wise, fair Zelda, the red-haired slim Anju, and all the other farmmaids and farmworkers bowed as he did so.

The young king smiled good-heartedly at them and gestured for them to rise.

"It is good to see you again Master Talon, and everyone else here gathered," he said, "My sincerest apologies for intruding on your farm again on such short notice-"

"Oh no, do not say such things your highness," said the good Malon, "were it not for you, my lord, we would have lost our farm, if not our lives! You are welcome to visit here whenever you wish and you are welcome to stay here for as long as you desire."

The young king smiled warmly at her.

"I am very glad, and most honored, that you feel that way, fair maiden."

The good Malon blushed, bowed coyly, and stepped back.

"Very well then…" said the young king, "Master Talon, could you have a couple of your best stableboys care for our horses again?"

The burly landlord bowed acquiescently.

"No troubles, my lord," he said and turned to a couple of his ablest stableworkers.

To them the king said, while one of his knights handed each a small but heavy pouch of rupees, "Unharness our horses and see to their comfort. Let them have fed and rest aplenty; they have pulled this carriage and carried my men a long, long way."

The stableboys gave the king a deep bow and went to care for the king's horses at once.

The young king then turned to face the red-haired, good Malon.

"It is not only our horses who are hungered and tired, my men and I are as well. If it brings you not too much trouble, fair maidens, would you fix us another one of your wonderful meals?"

The good Malon proudly stepped forward.

"We will happily do you this service, your highness," she said, for all the farmmaids present, "Will it be just a little, short meal, as it was the last time you visited us, or would you and your men like to have a big, hearty meal this day?"

The young king was not unaware of his men's hopeful eyes.

"This day, we have all the time to enjoy that feast you had offered last time to prepare for us. There is still no need, nor cause, though, for you farmmaids to go so far out of your way as to prepare a great feast for us but I will reward you handsomely if you would prepare us a good, hearty meal. And, if you could, something small but delightful to snack on, so that my men do not fall from hunger while you busy yourselves in the kitchens preparing that big meal," the young king added to the delight of his men.

The good Malon, and all the other farmmaids, held themselves proudly.

"We shall do everything as you wish, your highness," said the good Malon with a confident bow.

"After that delightful meal you prepared us last time, I very much look forward to what you capable maidens will conjure this day…" said the young king with a bemused smile, "While I wait though, I'd like to go on a little walk. After sitting in that stuffy carriage most of the day my legs are aching to move. Fair Zelda?" he called the clever farmmaiden.

Said clever maiden obediently stepped forward and bowed, "Yes, my lord?"

"Will you show me around again? When I visited here last, I had not much time and there is still much for me to see here on this farm."

The fair Zelda knew this to be true, but the wise, fair Zelda knew more.

So she obediently bowed again, "Of course, your highness, I would be honoured to. If you will follow me…"

The young king smiled gently, and started to follow the fair maiden, the fair-haired stern Impa only a few steps behind him.

Before them, the fair Zelda worried how best to tell the young king of her decision…

 

The fair Zelda led the young king and the stern Impa out of the farm, away from any ears that might listen in, into the orchards, with its fruiting trees and humming bees. A few farmhelpers were still at work, as were a couple of beekeepers, but still, the fair Zelda and the two guests had all the privacy they could ask for.

While she led the young king and the stern Impa, the prudent Zelda carefully thought how to best tell the young king of her decision.

"Fair Zelda?"

The fair maiden started, as though startled out of a light doze. She blinked and turned to face the young king.

"Yes, your highness?"

The young king looked at her, somewhat worried, somewhat confused, "We have been walking for quite a bit now, yet you have not spoken a single word."

The fair Zelda sighed.

"Forgive me, your highness," she apologized to the young king, "I was lost in my thoughts."

The young king nodded but said nothing.

After another moment of though he asked, "Are you still troubled by my proposal?"

"Y-yes… yes, somewhat, I am, your highness…" answered the fair Zelda somewhat hesitantly.

When he heard this, the young king looked a bit down.

"Need you more time to think it over?"

The fair Zelda shook her head.

"No, your highness, I had more than enough time to discuss it and to think it over."

That seemed to lift the young king's spirits.

"So… you have come to a decision?"

The fair Zelda once, meaningfully, nodded her head.

"Yes, your highness, I have."

"And…?" asked the young king while he checked his anticipation, "Will you come to the castle with me? Will you be my fiancee?"

The fair Zelda took a deep breath.

"Your highness, I… I…"

The young king looked at her expectantly.

"…yes?"

The fair Zelda tried again, "I… I talked it over with my dear father… and with Master Talon too, and I…"

"…yes…?"

"I…"

The young king continued to eye her expectantly.

"I… I'd be… honored… to be… your fiancee…"

The smile the young king wore was humble and modest. His eyes though were a different story.

"Does this mean… that you are willing to partake in this… mad… scheme of mine?"

"I-I… am…" nearly whispered the fair Zelda.

Though his smile was still reserved, the young king's eyes shone.

He gently took the fair Zelda's hand into his.

"Then it shall be my honor, and pleasure, to call myself your fiance…"

And with that he placed a soft kiss upon the fair Zelda's hand, which caused her cheeks to blush and her heart to flutter.

The next moment the young king released her hand and straightened himself.

"Are you ready to leave, fair Zelda? Will you ride with me when I depart for the castle?"

Once again, the fair Zelda was startled out of her daze. This time, not lost in thought but lost in emotion.

"What? Oh no, your highness, I am afraid I cannot," hurried the fair Zelda to speak.

The young king frowned.

"Why not, fair Zelda?"

The fair maiden was quick to explain.

"These weeks to come, there will be much work to be done here on this farm, and I promised that I would still be here to help. Once… I have finished my farmly duties here…" said the fair Zelda with melancholy in her voice, "…I will be ready to depart."

"…I see…" replied the young king, "Well… have you any idea when you will be ready to leave? Do you already know when I should send the carriage to pick you up?"

The fair Zelda thought it over carefully.

At last she said, "By the end of this month, your highness. By then I will have done all my farmly duties and will be prepared to stay in your castle…"

"Very well," said the young king, "I will send my carriage to fetch you, on the last day of this month, and it will arrive here at noontime. Would that suit you fine, fair Zelda?"

"That would be wonderful, your highness," answered the fair Zelda.

"Then so it shall be…" said the young king, "Think you that your good friends, the other fair farmmaidens, have finished preparing that delightful meal I begged them to?"

"Huh?"

"I asked your fair friends if they could fix a hearty meal for me and my men," reminded the young king the fair Zelda, "Think you that they have already done so?"

"Oh! I am not quite sure, your highness," answered the fair Zelda, "But then, we have been walking and speaking for quite bit… Would you like to head back to the farmhouse now, your highness?"

"Yes… I think so," answered the young king, "But let us take another path back to the farm house. I do want to see more of these farmlands…"

The fair Zelda bowed dutifully.

"As you wish, your highness," she said and walked to lead the way.

Behind her, the young king walked at a leisurely pace, enjoying the walk and enjoying the surroundings.

Behind him, just a few steps behind, walked his adviser and shadow, the stern Impa.

Before them, the lost, fair Zelda worried and feared more than she had when the young king first had told her of his plan and his intention to have her as his fiancee…

For she had not intended to accept the young king's proposal…

She had decided that she would not go with him…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	10. Chapter 10

When the young king had left the farm, the good Malon and the slim Anju immediately went to their dear friend, the fair Zelda.

"Dear Zelda, what ails you this time?" asked the slim Anju, for each and every one on the farm had noticed how miserable the fair Zelda had looked ever since she had brought the young king and the stern Impa back to the farm.

"Have you come to regret your decision?" asked the good Malon with a bit of sass and tease, "Have you realized, too late, what fine a man our young king is, and how hasty and foolish it was to dismiss him, there being no equal to him in all of the land?"

The fair Zelda sighed.

"Oh, how I wish I had done so, dear Malon…" said she in a miserly voice, "Alas, I fear I have done something very foolish and much worse…"

"Huh? Whatever do you mean, dear Zelda?" asked the confused Malon.

The fair Zelda sighed again.

"For now… let us go back and see to our farm duties again…" said the troubled maiden in a tired voice, "This eve, when all the others are abed, let us, and our fathers, meet again in the dining room… just like the night after the king visited us on his way to Calatia…"

With that, the fair Zelda went off to do some farmwork, and, after a moment of being completely mystified, her two dear friends hurried to follow.

.

When evening had come, and everyone else was abed, the two farmers and the three farmmaids were all seated around the kitchen table, once again, just as they were one halfmoon ago, when the young king had asked the fair Zelda, if she would be his fiancée, and the fair Zelda had been unable to give him an answer.

The fair Zelda's father, the good Daphnes, was the first to speak.

"well, my dear child…" began the old farmer, "What has our young king done to spook you this time around?"

The fair Zelda wore a face of misery.

"Our good king has done no such thing, father dear," answered the troubled maiden, "It is I who has done this to myself…"

The old Daphnes, just like the burly landlord Talon, the good Malon, and the slim Anju, wore a face of utter confusion.

"Whatever do you mean, my dear child?"

The fair Zelda sighed miserably.

"When I spoke to the king this noon, and he asked me for my answer… my wits deserted me. And in that moment of mindlessness, I spoke things I never meant to…"

A feeling not unlike dread brought up the two farmers and the two farmmaids.

"My dear child… please tell me you did not anger the king…" nearly pleaded the old Daphnes. He had not forgotten the weeks he had spent imprisoned in the castle dungeons just for his one careless lie against the king. And everybody knew by now that the young king had actually been most kind and merciful to the old farmer back then.

These past two years, back during the time of Hyrule's rebuild, there had been many who had gone against Nayru's laws and had been brought before the young king. Poor wretches who had lost everything in the war brought to Hyrule by the vile Ganondorf, and who had to resort to thievery to sustain their meager existence the young king had practically spared. Maybe a day or two in the castle dungeons, and then the young king would have given the poor unfortunate a place to sleep and some food in exchange for some labour, usually to help tend Hyrule's fields, and this would go on until the unlucky then-thief could stand on his own again, or until the young king found him a better place and better work elsewhere.

But there had also been many a swindler and raider, who had full intent to take advantage of the frail order left after the gruesome war against the vile Ganondorf and prey on the unprotected, helpless people, and to each and every one, the young king had delivered harsh justice.

Once a conceited, traitorous noble and later a boisterous bandit king had openly mocked the young king when they and their crimes had been brought before him, and they had even gone so far as to challenge him to a duel to the death, thinking him nothing more than a spoiled boy, sheltered and pampered all throughout his life.

In both cases the young king, with a face of furious calm, had responded by rising up from his throne, rising up to the challenge, taking off his crown and taking up his sword again… and not much later he had put down his sword, put on his crown, and sat down on his throne again… all while the death-found braggart was lying in the dirt, his unbloodied weapon clutched in his stiff fingers, and disbelief and terror frozen on his ashen face, while whatever little life was left him, slowly faded away.

Since then, a few stories, not often told, not often heard, have been related by some of the men who had followed and fought alongside the young king-then-prince. Stories of how he had ruthlessly slain this and that most hateful and brutal henchman of the vile Ganondorf's, not to mention of the savage battle between the young then-prince and the dark warlord himself.

To the old Daphnes' immense relief, the fair Zelda shook her head, though none too happily.

"No, Father, I did not anger our king. Nor did I displease him or offend him. No, I did quite the opposite."

"Huh? You mean to say you pleased our young king?" asked the confused Malon.

"I most certainly did, dear Malon…" said the miserly Zelda.

"Hold… You have told us all you desired not to go with our young king, desired instead to stay here with us… yet when our king left this day, he was in good spirits, not as though he had just been refused… dear Zelda…!" the good Malon asked in awe, "Did you change your mind?! Have you decided to go and be the king's fiancée after all?!"

"No, I did not and still do not, dear Malon…" answered her the miserly Zelda, "And had my wits not deserted me, I would have told the king so, alas, they did, and so, in a moment of what must have been madness, I told the king otherwise…"

"Hold," broke in the slim Anju, "Mean you to say… without meaning to, without wanting to, you agreed to the king proposal? You told him that you would go with him, live with him, and be his fiancée, even though you have neither intention nor desire to do so?"

The fair Zelda sighed, once more, miserly and nodded.

"So I did, dear Anju… so I did…"

"Oh, you fair maid…" sighed the old Daphnes, as he held his head as though it was plagued with pain, "Are you truly my child? This does not sound as something my smart daughter would do…"

"I am your child!" snapped the fair Zelda irritably, "And Demise take me, I am most aware of what a disastrous thing I have done, though only Nayru herself knows how this came to be!"

Again, the fair Zelda gave vent to her frustration, this time via a silent groan.

"…perhaps it is because I am your daughter and you are my father that my wits deserted me, and this foolish tongue spoke things not of my will and sound mind…"

"Zelda…" spoke the annoyed Daphnes her name in a tone the fair Zelda had not heard since the last time she had been a very naughty little girl.

Again, the troubled maiden sighed.

"Forgive me my good father… I had not meant to say those things… I simply know not what to do anymore now that I have gotten myself into this mess!"

Now it was the old farmer's turn to sigh.

"Well… how did you get yourself into this fine mess?" asked the old Daphnes, "Why, when we last discussed this, you wanted to stay here with us all more than anything else in the world. Nothing swayed your mind. The chance to wed a handsome, young king did not appeal to you… The chance to live in a splendid castle did not attract you… The chance to have maids and servants waiting on you meant nothing to you… So why this now?"

"I know not, father!" whimpered the distraught Zelda, "all I know is that when the young king stood before me and asked of me my decision… and looked at me with such expectation… whatever I had meant to tell him… whatever I had planned to tell him… I simply couldn't! It was all just gone from my mind… and before long, I found myself telling the young king that I would go with him and be his fiancée…"

Again, the troubled Zelda sighed.

"Oh, you goddesses… what am I to do…?"

"Why are you so distraught about this, dear Zelda?" wanted the good Malon to know, "It may not be what you had intended to do, and thus very unfortunate indeed, but be thankful it happened with the young king proposing to you, and not with the ill-tempered Ingo, back when he was drunk on the eve of last year's harvest festival."

"Demise take you and have his way with you, cursed Malon!" ground out the irate Zelda, "I lived life joyful and happy, having banished that moment from my mind and memory, and now here you are to bring it back!"

Seeing the affront on her dear friend's face, the troubled Zelda sighed once more.

"Forgive me, my dear, sweet Malon… you speak right and true of course, I am most fortunate that this mishap of mine made me the fiancée of such a fine, dashing man as our brave, young king… But fine man or no, I am still distressed it happened! I have no desire to be wedded! And to make things worse, I have no way out of this mess!"

"Why do you not simply go to the king tomorrow and tell him you had a change of mind?" asked the burly landlord Talon.

The fair Zelda shook her head.

"I think this not a wise course, good Master Talon… our young king gave me a full halfmoon to think and to decide. It would be imprudent to tell him that I will not stand by my decision… or rather by what I told him… More so now that I have agreed that I would go and live with him at the end of this month."

"Huh?" exclaimed the good Malon "At the end of this month? Where did this come from?"

The fair Zelda explained, "When I told our king that I agreed to be his fiancée, he had expected that I would go with him this day… thankfully, by then I had my wits with me again. Though only to tell him that I was still needed here and could not go with him just yet."

"And when did you tell our young king would you be ready to leave?" asked the old Daphnes his fair daughter.

"The last day of this month, father dear," answered the fair Zelda, "On that day, the king's carriage will arrive at noontime to pick me up and bring me to the castle…"

"Well…" said the good Malon, "That day is still a good number of days away, plenty of time for you to think and to prepare…"

The red-haired maid could not stop her yawn.

"What say you we retire for the night? There is much work to be done tomorrow. What say you we discuss this more, some other time?"

The fair Zelda felt not that she would sleep but still nodded.

"You are right, dear Malon, it is late and there is much work to be done tomorrow… It is indeed best that we retire for tonight…"

.

Sleep had indeed not come easily to the troubled Zelda that night… and it continued to come in that manner in all the nights that followed.

By day she would go about her farmly duties, but it was an easy thing for one to see that the fair maiden was troubled and that her mind was far away. Day after day she struggled, cudgeled her brain to find a way out of her mishap. Alas, the only ways out she found lay in dishonesty and deceit, and these she dared not think to transverse. For one, her good, honest heart would not allow her to commit herself to such sin, and for two, she had seen and felt firsthand what dire consequences would fall upon her if she dared play the king false.

In the end, her plan, if one could call it such, was that she would go to the castle and follow through with the young king's plan. She would study and learn how to be a queen, how to speak and behave like a noble, how to speak and act in court, and how to rule and govern a country.

However, what she would not do, or rather would not allow, was for her and the young king to be anything more than good friends. She hoped that by doing so, remaining merely the young king's good friend, the young king would eventually turn his attention to another maiden, for she had most certainly not forgotten that the young king sought not only a capable queen ruling alongside him, but also a loving wife who would bear him his children. So, she reasoned that if she studied dutifully but allowed nothing more than a good friendship to bloom between herself and the young king, that she would eventually be allowed to return to her dear father and friends, and hopefully this way, the young king would not be disappointed in her or bear her any grudge.

The rest of the month passed much too quickly for the distraught Zelda. Day after day she grew sadder and sadder. Day after day, she grew more and more distraught. Little things she had barely thought about or paid notice to before, such as her daily chores, or even just her everyday surroundings, suddenly become most dear to her, almost like very dear friends, now that she had to leave them behind, just as she had to leave behind the rest of her joyful life, which she had built and come to love since the day the young king had sent her and her old father here on the farm of the burly landlord Master Talon.

The day the fair Zelda so dreaded had finally come; the month was at its end. While the others were out working on the farm, the poor Zelda stood in the room she had lived in these past two years and had come to share with the slim Anju and two other dear friends. Distraught, she gathered her clothes and packed them, praying desperately that by some miracle that the young king had forgotten about her and that the carriage would not arrive to pick her up.

"Child?"

The fair Zelda turned, and there in the doorway stood her grey father, the old Daphnes.

At once the distraught Zelda threw herself into her father's arms and sobbed.

"There, there, my child…" soothed the old Daphnes his distraught daughter, stroking her head and hair, just as he had always done when she had been a tiny, little girl.

From between his strong arms, the poor Zelda sobbed, "I do not want to go… I do not want to leave!"

The old Daphnes sighed and continued stroking his little girl's head.

"I know, child… I do not wish you to go like this either… against your wish and will…" here the old Daphnes gave a deep, sad sigh, "But I fear you must… this is a good, fine mess you have made and caught yourself into… while you did not mean to become our king's fiancée… you did give him much reason to believe so…"

A loud. Distraught sob sounded from between his old, strong arms, from his poor little girl.

Again, the old Daphnes stroked her head soothingly.

"There, there child… there is no need for you to cry so hard… it is not as though we cannot see each other again or that you will not come back to us… did you not say that you would only stay with the young king until he realizes that you hold him as a friend, but not as a lover?"

"But who knows when that will be? Who knows how long that will take?" cried the distraught Zelda, "For all I know, I could be spending many weeks, or even months, before our king decides to find another for his bride…"

Again, the old Daphnes let out a deep sigh.

"Well, child… I fear you will just have to wait and endure until our king decides to see you home…" said the old farmer, which caused the distraught maid in his arms to sob much more.

Just then, a light knock sounded on the door, and shortly after the door opened and then the slim Anju poked her head in.

"Dear Zelda?"

The next moment she rushed to her dear friend's side, "Dear Zelda, why do you cry?"

The teary-eyed farmmaid turned to face her.

"I do not want to go…" the distraught Zelda whimmered, "I want to stay here, with you and our dear Malon…!"

"Oh, my poor Zelda!" cried the slim Anju as she took her poor, distraught friend into her arms and wept with her, for as the day of the fair Zelda's departure drew nearer and nearer, both the slim Anju and the good Malon came to feel more and more how much they were going to miss their dear friend, their dear Zelda.

The grey farmer, the old Daphnes, watched the two farmmaids in quiet sorrow.

But then he spoke.

"Anju dear child, have you come to tell us of something?"

It pained the slim Anju to let go of her dear friend. But it pained her so much more what she spoke next.

"…the king's carriage is coming… one of the farmboys who had come from the cucco coops saw it approach…"

.

A frown marred the stern Impa's brow.

Many a dear friend of the fair Zelda's had come to see her off and to wish her well before she would leave and act as the king's overseer on another farmer's farm, for that was what had been told to all the farmfolk who lived and worked on the farmlands of the burly landlord Talon. They did not know, nor were allowed to know, that the young, fair Zelda was to be their young king's fiancée. They knew nothing of the king's plight of expected marriage. They knew nothing of the king's unknowing of whom to marry. They knew nothing of the young king's plan to teach and train a commoner's girl to become his wife and Hyrule's next queen. Many a hug was exchanged, and countless tears flowed, but none cried more or harder than the fair Zelda.

It was the way the fair Zelda cried that had the knightly Impa frown and decide to speak with the young farmmaid once they alone inside the carriage.

It seemed as though the tearful good-byes and heart-breaking farewells would never end, but at last her dear friends let the fair Zelda go.

"Are you all ready to depart now, young Zelda?" the stern Impa's brow was still furrowed, both in concern and in something not much unlike suspicion.

The poor Zelda sniffled, and struggled to brush away her tears, but nodded.

"Then let us be off now," said the stern Impa and climbed into the carriage.

The poor Zelda, torn by her desire to stay, turned once more to see her dear old father, and all her dear good friends. Then, with a break of heart, and a new break-out of tears she climbed into the carriage and took her seat opposite the stern Impa.

"We can depart now, Master Driver," said the stern Impa.

The carriage driver at once snapped the reigns and the horses started to trot.

The instant she felt the carriage move, the distraught Zelda felt her heart break for what felt to her the hundredth time. But this heartbreak, she felt, was by far the worst, and she felt her eyes burn once more.

It took the fair Zelda everything she could not to cry.

It took the fair Zelda everything she could to remain seated.

It took the fair Zelda everything she could not to scream at the driver to stop.

It took the fair Zelda everything she could not to bolt out of the carriage.

It took the fair Zelda everything she could not to run back to her dear, old father and all her dear, good friends.

She had barely left, and already the sickness for one's home struck and tormented the poor Zelda like the cruelest plague.

"Fair Zelda."

The stern voice of the knightly Impa jolted the distraught Zelda out of her stupor.

"Are you feeling ill? Your face is frightingly pale."

The fair Zelda lowered he eyes and shook her head.

"No, Lady Impa, I am not unwell. Bidding farewell to my dear father and all my dear friends has merely struck me harder than I had thought," she said while brushing away some tears, "I had not the faintest idea that bidding farewell could sting your heart so badly…"

The stern Impa rose an eyebrow but said nothing.

Two years ago, back when the vile Ganondorf had invaded Hyrule and slayed the old king, the present young one's uncle, many, many of Hyrule's soldiers had fallen before the war had truly began. And when, after many gruesome days, the young then-prince Link had gathered and rallied what was left of Hyrule's army, all he had was but a small force, too little to oppose the armies of the vile Ganondorf's.

As such, not only was the young then-prince forced to recruit volunteers… but he was also forced to add any able man into the militia. Whether that man wanted to or not.

And it was one such instant that had come to the stern Impa's mind, when she had seen the fair Zelda cry with her friends. That time, the stern Impa had seen a young lad being taken from his mother and sisters to be taken into the militia. The luckless lad had just reached the age when a lad was considered a grown man, even though his mind and heart were still much that of an immature child.

The stern Impa would never forget how the lad, the mother, and his sisters had wept.

And if one were to ask the stern Impa, she would swear that the fair Zelda had cried very much like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	11. Chapter 11

The king's carriage soon arrived at the castle. By now the poor Zelda's fears and homesickness had reached heir peak, but at the same time, by now the distraught Zelda had accepted them as though they were a natural part of herself. She simply suffered and endured them much like a cripple suffers and endures his painful limp.

The stern Impa soon rose from her seat and stepped out of the carriage, and the distraught Zelda numbly followed. She barely heard the stern Impa speak to a couple of servants.

"Get the bags from the carriage and bring them to the room we prepared for our young guest here."

The servants bowed and immediately went to carry the fair Zelda's belongings for her.

The stern Impa then turned with her young charge. Once more she frowned.

"Young Zelda, do you feel ill? You look frightingly pale."

The distraught Zelda shook her head and gave the knightly Impa a weak, untrue smile.

"It is nothing, Lady Impa, I am merely feeling a little ill from riding in the carriage so long… I am merely not used to riding in a carriage for hours."

The stern Impa's said nothing but her frown deepened.

And for due case, for what the fair Zelda had spoken was nothing but a poor lie, for many a time had the fair Zelda, and the slim Anju, ridden in the cart of the good Malon when she had ridden off to town to sell her farm's milk, and once had the fair Zelda had the ride made her feel ill. It had been the slim Anju.

Only twice when the three friends had ridden on a particular bumpy road, off to another town, had the fair Zelda bade the good Malon to slow the horses, once because of green the poor Anju had seemed, and once because she had half-feared that her bosom would leap out of her undergarments.

In the end the knightly Impa, though still unconvinced and suspicious, decided to think nothing of.

"Here, young Zelda," offered the knightly Impa the fair Zelda her arm as would a man of noble birth and good upbringing have done, "Hold onto my arm, I will lead you to the quarters we had prepared for you," for the knightly lady feared that though the fair Zelda claimed to be fine the young, pale farmmaiden may faint.

The fair Zelda gratefully took hold on her arm.

"Thank you, Lady Impa."

For truth be told, the poor Zelda did feel faint, her heart and mind were once again in still in turmoil and would take much more or longer before the poor Zelda would simply break down and cry, yet still the poor maid fought to maintain her façade.

As quickly as she dared lead the seemingly ill Zelda, the knightly Impa led the pale farmmaid to the chambers they had prepared for her. Once there, the stern Impa had the distraught Zelda immediately lie down on the big soft bed.

"Fetch her some clear water to drink, be quick about it!" ordered the stern Impa one of the castlemaids.

The servant girl gave the lady knight a quick bow and hurried off.

Meanwhile, the knightly Impa turned back to her young charge.

"Lie still and rest, young Zelda," the young maid did so and after a long moment the knightly Impa went on to ask, "fell you better or shall I send for one of our castle healers?"

The fair Zelda weakly smiled and shook her head, "Worry not Lady Impa, I will be well soon."

The stern Impa was not convinced, "Art thou certain?"

The fair Zelda nodded, "I am Lady Impa, all I need is a little more rest…."

With that the fair Zelda closed her eyes and leant into her pillow,

"If I may, I think I would like to take a little nap…"

The stern Impa hesitated a moment but then sighed,

"Very well, young Zelda…" she said as before she went for the door, "I will leave you to your privacy then…"

At the door she stopped and turned once more to the fair Zelda.

"If you need anything, ask one of our castle servants. If you wish to walk around a bit, do have one of the guards accompany you. If you do, be sure to return here to this room a good hour before sunset. An hour before dinner I will be here for you, so will a couple of castlemaids who will be here to groom you and dress you before you have dinner at the king's table."

At this the fair Zelda's eyes snapped open and she partially rose to meet the stern Impa's eyes.

"Our king wishes to have dinner with me?"

The knightly Impa nodded, "So he does…"

Then the knightly lady put on a sly grin, "I dare say he has been looking forward to your coming."

The fair Zelda sighed and leant back into her pillow.

"Very well Lady Impa, I will be sure to be here to attend the king's dinner," she said not too enthusiastically.

The knightly Impa nodded and closed the door behind her.

After a good long while, when the fair Zelda felt her nerves had settled, she opened her eyes and observed her quarters.

She soon realized that these were the very same quarters she had stayed in during that week two years ago, when the king had decided to keep her farther the old Daphnes until he had recovered from his sickness. Here she had stayed and lived for a week, and she had been carefree and happy…

…with her dear old father by her side.

The poor Zelda finally broke out into tears, burying her face into her pillow so that none would hear.

...

The fair Zelda knew not when she had fallen asleep; nor did she know for how long she had slept. What she did know was that someone was knocking at her door and calling for her.

"Young Zelda? Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Lady Impa," answered the fair Zelda, having recognized the lady knight by her voice.

"May I come in?" asked the stern Impa.

"Yes, feel free to," answered the fair Zelda.

The door opened and the stern Impa made to enter. But she stopped the moment her eyes found the fair Zelda.

"Young Zelda… what is the matter? What ails you?"

The young maid was perplexed by the lady knight's words and the tone of them.

"Whatever do you mean, Lady Impa? Nothing ails me."

The stern Impa eyed her in a manner befitting her name and motioned to the vanity that had been added to the room.

"Look at yourself," said the lady knight in a stern voice.

Confused, the fair Zelda went to sit at the vanity and see herself in the mirror. At once she saw what the stern Impa had meant. The fair Zelda looked an utter mess. Her hair was very disheveled. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her face was pale and drained. The fair Zelda truly looked as though she was suffering some cruel disease.

The fair Zelda gave the stern Impa a weak smile.

"There is no need to worry, Lady Impa, I fell asleep earlier, and I always look this terrible when I wake…"

The knightly Impa believed her not.

"Young Zelda speak truly, what ails you?" the tone of her voice was most stern, and many a time had it broken the spirit of the young king back when he had been a squire and later page.

The fair Zelda, though quite frightened, shook her head, "Nothing ails me, Lady Impa… I assure you, you need not worry."

The stern Impa frowned, almost viciously, and was most displeased. However…

"Be that as it may, Young Zelda… the young king will sup soon, and he wishes you to join him."

...

The stern Impa then spoke to a couple of chambermaids who were waiting beyond the door, "Come in and groom the young Zelda, and help her dress. She must look her best before our king."

Thee two maids nodded and quickly got to work…

A good while later the fair Zelda, accompanied by the stern Impa and the two chambermaids, made her way to the castle's dining hall. The pretty farmmaiden felt most uncomfortable. Not only felt she alone, her first taste of finery and being a lady tasted rather bitter.

The two chambermaids had dusted her with so much powder that she had fought hard not to cough.

They had sprayed her with so much perfume that she had nearly gagged.

The dress that she was forced to wear now was most uncomfortable. It was beautiful to look at, yet constrictingly tight to wear. Her waist hurt, and she found it difficult to draw breath. The fair Zelda, for all her wits and intelligence, knew not how she was to stomach any food wearing a dress as tight as the one she wore.

Her feet hurt worse. Though the shoes she wore were most elegant, they hurt her feet so badly that the fair Zelda feared that she would lose the sensation in them if she was forced to continue wearing these painful shoes. She also had to fight hard to maintain her balance as she walked. Any moment she feared that she might fall. And yet, she had to walk elegantly, in a stiff and formal posture.

To her great relief and thanks, it was not far to the dining hall, and soon she found herself before its large doors.

At once her relief vanished and gave way to worry and fear. She knew that beyond these doors the young king was awaiting her, but she knew not how she felt about it.

On one hand, it was not as though she disliked the young king. Quite the contrary. Most of the times she had spent speaking with him had been rather pleasant, so she bore him no ill will.

But then… on the other hand, it was his fault that she was here now, here in this castle, away from her home, away from her dear father and all her dear friends.

Yet, again this was not truly the young king's fault was it? Was it not her own foolish tongue that had brought the fair Zelda into this mess?

This way and that did the thoughts of the fair Zelda twist and turn about.

"Young Zelda!"

The sudden call of the stern Impa startled the pretty farmmaiden out of her reverie.

"Enter young Zelda, our king awaits you."

The fair Zelda stepped into the dining hall. Just beyond the door's threshold she halted and curtsied.

"Enter, fair Zelda," said a clear joyous voice.

Raising her head, the fair Zelda's eyes met those of the young king. When they did, the fair Zelda took note of how joyful and glad they looked, and the fair Zelda knew not how she felt of this. If anything, it brought her yet more worry.

"Come, fair Zelda, do not stay there in the doorway, you too, Lady Impa, come sit with us and let us dine," invited them the young king warmly.

The fair Zelda and the stern Impa did as they were bid. They promptly made their way to the table and sat down. It was no grand celebration, the young king had wanted it to be a private dinner, so aside from the servants who were waiting on them, and some guards to watch them, there were only four people present in the dining hall, all seated at the king's table.

One of course was the young king himself. To his left was seated, to her great discomfort and growing anxiety, the fair Zelda. She herself would have chosen to sit in a chair farther from the young king, and said king not invited her to take the seat next to him, and the obedient maid, though very much confused and quite possibly frightened, fortunately still had enough of her wits with her as to graciously accept the king's kind offer as to not displease him.

Furthermore… there was the stern Impa, and the fair Zelda dared not think displease the young king while she was present, which she most certainly was, seated right to the left of the fair Zelda, which added all the more to the poor maiden's discomfort.

To the right of the young king sat an old man dressed in long auburn robes. The fair Zelda had not spoken much to this old lord during her stay back those two years ago when she and her old father had been the young king's guests, but she still remembered who he was.

He was known in Hyrule as the wise, old Rauru, and he had been the old king's most trusted advisor, and counselor in religious and stately affairs.

"I am joyed to see you, fair Zelda," began the young king in a joyfully. But his voice carried worry, "How feel you? The Lady Impa let me know that earlier you seemed rather unwell."

The fair Zelda flinched at the young king's words, but then she quickly recovered.

"Worry not, your highness," she answered, forcing her lips into a weak smile, "It was merely the farewell I bid my dear old father and all my dear friends… it had turned out to be much more heart-rending than I had imagined."

The young king slowly nodded.

"know how you feel, fair Zelda…" said the young king in a melancholy voice, "I too had to bid many farewells… to many a good friend… and in some cases, tis my fault I will not see them again…"

The stern Impa half-rose at his words.

"Li- I mean, your highness-"

But the young king gestured her to take her seat again, "Lady Impa… tis the truth. I am well aware of my successes, of my victory. But even so, I am much more aware of my failures, my losses…"

The stern Impa held her tongue and took her seat again.

For a good long moment, silence reigned. Then the young king took up the word again.

"Fair Zelda, Lord Rauru, I am aware that I have already done so before, since it has been two years since, I shall introduce you to one another once more. Fair Zelda, please meet Lord Rauru the Wise. He was my late uncle's closest adviser and most loyal friend. If ever my late uncle had to travel to the neighboring kingdoms on diplomatic visits, Lord Rauru would either be at his side or remain here in Hyrule and rule her in his stead."

"When I was younger, while the Lady Impa trained me in the arts of war, and schooled me in the code of chivalry, the wise Lord Rauru had me educated in the pursuits of the scholar. Reading, Writing, Literature, Geography, History… all these the wise Lord Rauru taught me. And I still learn from him. And just as he counselled my late uncle, so does he counsel me today at court."

"I have let the wise Lord Rauru in on my plan, and he has agreed to partake."

At this the wise, old Rauru bowed.

"So I have… though tis a most unorthodox scheme is our young king has come up with, I see the wisdom in it. It may indeed be the best course of action. So, young Zelda, I have agreed to take part in it. Just as I have educated our young king, so will I now be teaching you, young Zelda, until you will make a good queen."

"And he will not be the only teacher you will have," took the stern Impa over the word, "I too will be teaching you. The lord Rauru will guide you in your scholarly pursuits most the time, and I will be teaching you in the ways of proper conduct."

The fair Zelda took a moment's time to consider what she had been just told. Then she bowed her head.

"I am honored to be under your care, my lord, my lady."

Just then, the servants came in and brought the food, and the young king and his guests began their evening meal.

...

The very next day the fair Zelda began attending her lessons. That very day and most all the days that followed, the fair Zelda was kept most busy. Form the very founding of Hyrule until the very present day of the kingdom. From a simple barter to the whole trade between Hyrule and her neighbors. From a simple curtsy to a curtly dance. All these, and many and much more the fair Zelda had to learn. The young king, the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru also required of her that she be present whenever the young king had to meet with the common folk, whenever someone sought his kingly aid and advice. And once the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru had deemed that the fair Zelda sufficiently knew about decorum and etiquette and that she knew how to properly behave in court, she attended royal balls with the young king, and was to speak and interact with Hyrule's nobility and visiting dignitaries.

Both the wise, old Rauru and of course the stern Impa were strict teachers and pushed her hard and fast in her studies. And the young king, though most kind to her, had high expectations of her. But still, the fair Zelda spent not all of her days in study. Every quartermoon, she was given a day or two to rest and spend at her leisure. Well… almost, to be true. One of these days she had to spend in leisure with the young king. It need not be said that the purpose of these days was so that the friendship between the young king and the fair Zelda would bloom into something more.

Alas, things went not at all to the young king's expectations. Though the fair Zelda had a sharp enough mind for queenhood, her heart was not even in the littlest agreeing. The fair Zelda learned little and slowly. Not because her lessons were beyond her understanding. Not because she found her lessons impractical or unnecessary. But simply because she knew the more she committed herself to her studies, the less likely it was that the young king would send her home. T'was also the reason the fair Zelda would act rather withdrawn whenever she was with the young king. She wanted not his love, she wanted to be home again.

And although the good Malon and the slim Anju came to visit her whenever they could and were allowed, it did little to ease her heartache. Rather it intensified it. The fair Zelda wanted not merely to see her dear friends… she wanted to be with them. All the time. She had longed to be back home the moment she had stepped into the carriage, and each day it had grown to torment her more.

The young king had been most welcoming to her, and the wise, old Rauru and the stern Impa too were most kind to her. So were the maids and all the other castlefolk… at first.

But not for long.

The young king had made his strange plan never known, yet still the people at the castle soon suspected why the fair Zelda was staying at the castle and was much too often at the young king's side. Many of the castlemaids, and even some of the menfolk, felt jealous and wronged. Many of them had served the young king for many months, some had even served at the castle long before him. So why were they not given the chance to prove themselves worthy of a royal partner? Why this lowly farmer girl?

Needless to say, if the lowly servants felt this way about the fair Zelda, then so much more felt so the highborn nobles. And unlike the servants the nobles were not shy about making their displeasure known. Much more so their complaints and protests.

At first the young king made efforts to uphold his secret, saying that the fair Zelda was not his fiancée but merely a good friend and guest of his, and therefore to be treated with all respect and kindness, but soon his words fell on deaf ears and none believed. When the young king realized this, he said not much more on the matter. He did not outright confirm their suspicions as true but neither did he deny them as being false. But this doth not mean that he did not defend the fair Zelda whenever someone dared speak ill or mean to her. Quite the contrary. Fiancée or not, he would always say, he would not allow anyone to belittle her.

One can easily guess that the fair Zelda thus found little pleasure in being the young king's fiancée. True, she could wear sparkling jewelry and beautiful garments, and dine from the finest dishes, but she felt lonely and unwelcome and most of all painfully homesick. She ached to be back home, back to the farm of the good burly landlord Talon, back to her dear old father, back to all her dear, loving friends… alas, without meaning to, the young king denied her this. Despite everything the young king held on to the belief that the fair Zelda was the right one, the right one for the throne, the right one for his heart.

Both the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru had already informed the young king about the fair Zelda, about how she had seemed distraught and distracted, and how she was not performing as well in her studies as they had hoped she would.

Nonetheless, the young king told them to be patient with her and to give the fair Zelda more time.

Whenever the young king spent time with the fair Zelda, he noticed her unease. He had also noticed that she never reciprocated any of his advances, which were actually much too gentle and kind to consider them as such. He was well aware that his presence seemed to bring the fair Zelda only discomfort.

Nonetheless, the young king kept his hopes.

The young king's persistence, the jealousy of the servants, the disdain of the nobles, her growing homesickness… all these soon had the fair Zelda grow bitter frustration.

And that frustration soon drove her to do something to spite the young king. And anger him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	12. Chapter 12

The fair Zelda knew this not, but the young king too was plagued by frustration. Though he still held onto his hopes and kept his belief that the fair Zelda was worthy of both the crown and his heart, he was saddened and disappointed when he heard from the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru of the fair Zelda's meager progress in her studies. Of how she seemed not to live up to his expectations.

He was saddened too by how distant the fair Zelda held herself whenever they were together, nothing like the friendly walks and talks they enjoyed two years ago, back when she and her old father were staying here at Hyrule's Castle as his guests.

He was also quite fed up with the nobles and their daughters. Time and time again they would question the presence of the lowly farmmaid. Again and again they attempted to convince the young king that this and that lady of noble birth was most suited to be Hyrule's next queen. Or would make him the most loving wife. The young king needed not think long though to know that she was and would be neither.

Still, the nobles would not leave the young king in peace and the fair Zelda did not live up to his expectations, and so, though hard he fought it, frustration took hold of the young king and grew like a weed.

But unlike the fair Zelda, there was yet another thing that weighed heavily on the young king's mind, and that was nothing less than his duty as the king of Hyrule. Though Hyrule had recovered from the terrible war brought by the vile Ganondorf, the duties and responsibilities of the young king were still plentiful and crucial.

Now, this day was another one of those days… those dreadful days full of misfortune. Those days when mishap follows mishap, and bad luck comes after bad luck, and not a single thing goes well or right.

Young and inexperienced the young king may have seemed, he did much to be a good king to his people. A good part of every day, the young king spent listening to and helping his people, just as he had listened to and helped the old Daphnes and his fair daughter, the fair Zelda, back those two years ago. Every day, the young king would sit on the throne, in the throneroom and listen to whoever sought the counsel of the crown. From the lowest of the peasants to the highest of the nobles, from every place there was in Hyrule, the young king listened to them all, and did what he thought was best to serve them.

But this day the young king's good will and kind heart were sorely tested.

Many, many a man filed into the throneroom, and many, many a problem was brought before him. And most of which were rather petty and insignificant, more nuisances than actual problems which every village chief should have been able to resolve, yet this day they were all brought before the young king. And more and more seemed to follow; seemingly merely to annoy him.

Thankfully though, the young king's patience lasted just long enough throughout that dreadful day full of pesky problems.

At last, he could quit the throneroom.

"Valet," he called his servant to his side, "Go to the castle's library and speak to the old Lord Rauru. Ask if the fair Zelda may join me for a walk, and ask her if she will."

The valet bowed obeisantly, "Yes, your highness," and went off to do as he was bid.

Back still on his throne, the young king sighed tiredly.

After his long day, the young king truly needed a nice, pleasant walk with pleasant company…

…

Alas, this was denied to him as well, for that dreadful day filled with ill luck had not yet come to an end. And this dreadful day had plagued the fair Zelda as well. She too has had a long, tiring day, and she too had hoped that it had finally come to an end for her.

But then the young king had called for her, the young king, the very person who, in her tired mind, had brought all this misfortune upon her.

As such she was not pleasant company at all that day when the young king took her on a stroll through Hyrule Castletown; she was rather indifferent and cold which first saddened then irked the young king.

"Your majesty!"

"Your highness!"

Hearing the outcries, the young king, the fair Zelda, the stern Impa, and the two guards who were coming along to protect the young king halted.

Two men came before the young king and his company whom the young Zelda both recognized. The first was the ill-tempered Ingo who, as the fair Zelda had heard from the good Malon when last she had visited, had left the farmlands of the burly Master Talon and gone his own way. As the fair Zelda knew it, the ill-tempered Ingo sought to make his fortune by raising and breeding horses.

True to this, this the ill-tempered Ingo shouted:

"Your majesty! Throw this misbegotten bublin into the dungeons! He has stolen my foal!"

"What?! How dare you lie to his majesty, you shameless swindler?! The foal was always mine!"

"You don't own any horse, you thieving crow! You are nothing but a dirty pig farmer!"

"How dare you, you nightborn remlit! My family always raised cows which for ages have produced good rich milk!"

"ENOUGH!" roared the young king.

Then he addressed the other man, who, as the fair Zelda knew it, made his living by raising cattle, for the young king knew very well that the ill-tempered Ingo was a very quarrelsome person who was hard to deal with, "What is the matter between the two of you?"

The man began but was soon interrupted again by the quarrelsome Ingo, which soon had the two men shouting at one another once again.

Finally, after much shouting, quarreling and cursing, the fair Zelda, and the young king, who by this time was visibly straining from restraining himself from looping both the men's heads off, finally made out what started the quarrel between the two men…

A young, fine, unbranded foal.

The cowherder claimed that the foal was his and that he had caught the ill-tempered Ingo trying to lead the foal away.

The ill-tempered Ingo, on the other hand, claimed that the foal was his and that the disloyal little beast had run off.

The young king tried to question each man in turn to verify his claim, but each time he did so, the other would cut in and the two men would soon be at each other's throats again.

So in the end, neither man proved himself the rightful owner.

"ENOUGH!" silenced the young king the two quarrelers once again, now truly at the end of his patience, "You cowherder! Bring the foal here, right now!"

"Y-yes my king!" said the cowherder quickly before running off to fetch the little horse.

…

A short while later, the cowherder returned leading a small red foal, of the same kind as the great red Epona, on a short piece of rope.

"Give the rope to my man," ordered the young king, and the cowherder dutifully did so. All the while the young king kept his eyes on the little red foal. As soon as the cowherder had handed over the rope to the king's man, the little horse had visibly gone nervous and had even tried to go with the cowherder.

"…Master… Ingo," spoke now the young king again, "Take the rope from my man."

But as soon as the ill-tempered Ingo came near, the little foal immediately shied away, and as soon as he held the rope the little foal bucked and tried to break free.

"Hold still you pesky little beast or I'll give you a good beating! I'm your master, darn it!"

"Clearly you are not!" cut in the young king. To his man, he said, "Get the rope from him! The foal belongs to the other man!"

The ill-tempered Ingo was so stumped by the young king's words that he momentarily forgot his ill temper.

"But my king! I am the rightful owner! This foal is mine!"

But the young king paid the ill-fated Ingo little heed.

"Mean you to tell me, that that little foal would rather be with a stranger, rather than with her rightful master, the man who raised her, fed her, and brushed her?"

The dumbstruck Ingo knew not what to say to this.

"I should have you injailed for this theft you attempted," spoke the young king, "But since your attempt was unsuccessful, I will have you pay an indemnity to this man tomorrow."

The cowherder bowed most graciously.

"Thank you, my king."

With that, the young king and his retinue left for the castle, and the cowherder left with the foal.

But from the king's retinue, one remained with the ill-fated Ingo.

"Understand you now why I, my dear old father, and the good Master Talon forbid you from beating any animal?" chided the wise, fair Zelda the broken Ingo, "See now how your mean ways have cost you that fine foal."

The dumbstruck Ingo immediately looked at the fair farmmaiden.

"You knew?!"

"Of course I knew! In all of Hyrule there but two men who raise this kind of fine red horses, you and the good Master Talon. Master talon does not sell foals at such a young age, so unless that cowherder went out of the country and bought the foal out of Hyrule, he must have gotten that foal from you."

Hearing the wise maid say this, the ill-fated Ingo's eyes widened. Then a spark of anger lit within him.

"If all this time you knew the truth, why have you not said a word to the king?!"

The fair Zelda quickly averted her eyes.

"…it was not my place," said the fair Zelda, "I have no right to interfere with the king's decisions…"

"And what now?!" cried the angry Ingo, "Do you expect me to simply abide by the king's decision and pay an indemnity for a crime I did not attempt let alone commit?! To the very man who snatched my foal from me no less?!"

The fair Zelda said nothing.

Had she spoken out before, her words would have renewed the young king's hopes in her, and he would have kept her in the castle even longer… kept her from her dear old father and all her dear friends.

So the prudent Zelda had feared. So she still did.

Which is why she had not, and did not want to speak to the young king on the ill-fated Ingo's behalf.

'Yet, if I say nothing, the ill-tempered Ingo will not only lose his foal but will also have to pay a huge indemnity…'

The wise, fair Zelda knew fully well how harsh a punisher the young king could be. This she did not want, for this was far from right. Nasty though the ill-tempered Ingo had been and could be, this time he was innocent.

So the fair Zelda thought long and hard what could be done to set things right. However… because of all the resentment she lately held towards the young king and because of how unjustly the young king had treated the ill-fated Ingo, the fair Zelda felt that the young king deserved some form of punishment.

At last, she said, "Listen Master Ingo. I have thought of a plan that will return you your foal… But first," she said, "You must swear to me that you will tell no one that it was I who told you of this scheme."

Eager to have his foal back and escape his undeserved punishment, the ill-tempered Ingo agreed at once, "I swear, I swear! Now tell me what to do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well…? What do you think our fair Zelda will think off?
> 
> About the unbranded foal… I know that horses and other domesticated farm animals like cows used to get branded by their owners to mark their ownership. Not sure if and if so how that is being done so today… I also don't know when these animals got/get their brand. And, to my shame, this time I didn't do my research! I do know that the branding must be painful (hot iron!) and… well, I just thought that young foals are spared that kind of pain until they grow older… that's probably just my own wishful thinking though… I love horses; actually, animals in general.
> 
> Bottom-line: Sorry if I wrote something incorrect here. And sorry that I didn't bother to do my homework.
> 
> But hell! If the foal was branded from the beginning then the conflict would have never happened! But it must happen! It's crucial for the proceeding of the story!
> 
> Speaking of my story… I've got bad(?) news; We're close to the end!
> 
> I kinda feel it… writer's intuition I guess.
> 
> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments, and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.   
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical rating from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
> 
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother writing this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


	13. Chapter 13

The next day our young king was once again busy in his throneroom, listening to subject after subject, resolving problem after problem. With him were his advisors, among them the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru, and with him, the fair Zelda.

Having just settled a lengthy dispute regarding the sale of some property, the young king took a moment to sigh, there were many more people lined outside his throneroom.

Then he straightened himself.

"Send in the next," he told the man at the door.

The man bowed and obeyed.

The next to come before the young king was a young farmmaid, a year or two younger than the fair Zelda, who, as the fair Zelda knew, was the daughter of a farmer who raised cuccos and other poultry.

The young maid stepped before the young king and did a curtsey.

"My greetings to you, fair maid," said the young king warmly, "What seems to be the matter?"

"My greetings to you, my king, my father send me to you because…" here the young maid grew unsure of what to say. But then she simply said, "because of the horse-raiser named Ingo-"

Hearing this, the young king, though improper and impolite it was, held his head and groaned.

As one might expect from him, the ill-tempered Ingo was a rather quarrelsome person. So even before his quarrel last day with the cowherder over his unbranded foal the young king had known the ill-tempered Ingo quite well… one time the ill-tempered Ingo had bought this and then found it not be to his liking and thought he'd been cheated, which had resulted into a huge argument. Which had eventually been brought before the young king to resolve. Which he did, but only after much time and argument.

And unfortunately for the young king, that had not been the only time.

And now, just the next afternoon following yesterday's dayful of dismay and misfortune, which had ended with yet another of the ill-tempered Ingo's antics, here the young king had to deal with him again!

"What…" struggled the young king to say, "…issue do you have with… the horse-raiser Ingo?"

"u-um…" the young maid knew not what to say. Or how to say it. But then she just said, "The horse-raising Ingo asked us if we had any cucco hen that laid duck eggs."

The young king immediately looked at the young maid as one who had heard right but would swear he hadn't.

His advisors, all the guards inside the throneroom, and some of the people outside who were next in line to appeal to the young king and had heard, too blinked uncertainly.

The only one who did not do so, was the fair Zelda. What she did was to hold her dainty hand before her lips as to hide her amused smile.

Which grew wider when the young king said next;

"I beg your pardon, fair maid, I am afraid I did not quite hear you right just now… could you once more say what you just said?"

The young maid, having accepted her fate of telling a ridiculous story before court said;

"Earlier this day, the horse-raiser Ingo came to our stall. My father raises poultry, my lord. Our family has done so for generations, and for generations we have sold eggs and poultry…

But this day, the horse-raiser Ingo came to us, and asked us if we had any cucco hen that lays duck eggs!

At first my father thought that the horse-raiser was out to ridicule us, or that mayhap he was drunk, but he was sober and assured that he was serious; he truly was looking for a cucco hen that laid duck eggs, and he was offering to pay a good price for her. My father, thinking that the horse-raising Ingo had mayhap gone mad, simply told him that we had no such hen.

The horse-raising Ingo appeared disappointed to hear this but then he asked if we instead any duck hen that lays cucco eggs.

My father then, having lost some of his patience, told the horse-raising Ingo that duck hens only lay duck eggs, and that cucco hens only lay cucco hens.

The horse-raising Ingo then asked my father if he was certain of this, to which my father, at that moment truly irritated, responded that our family had been raising poultry, cuccos, ducks and geese of various kinds and breeds, for over five generations, and never once has it happened that a cucco hen had laid a duck egg. Or that a duck hen had laid a cucco hen.

The horse-raising Ingo then took a moment to think…

…and then he asked if we knew of anyone who could sell him a cucco hen that laid duck eggs!

…to which my father nearly shouted no!"

Here the young maid briefly stopped her narrative, and her pretty brow furrowed in utter confusion.

"The horse-raising Ingo then just said that he would ask elsewhere and wished us a good day… truthfully, your highness, never before have I seen this Ingo so cheery and being so polite!

True to his word, the horse-raising Ingo went to next nearest stall that sold eggs and poultry and asked them if they had any cucco hens that laid duck eggs. And then, again, if they had any duck hens that lay cucco eggs.

It was then that my father sent me to you, your highness. He felt that you should know."

The young king heard, but said nothing, wondering just who it was who had gone mad, the ill-tempered Ingo, the fair maid and her father, or even the young king himself.

His advisors, too, looked from one to another, not knowing what to think and yet trying to make sense of what they had just heard.

All except for two: the wise, old Rauru… and the stern, fair-haired Impa.

"Zelda, my child, why are you laughing?" asked the wise, old Rauru the question the stern Impa had meant to ask.

The fair Zelda, who, truth be told, had merely been quietly giggling behind her hand, quickly caught herself.

"Do forgive me, Lord Rauru, Lady Impa, I cannot help but laugh. For some reason I find the idea of a cucco hen laying a duck egg funny."

The wise, old Rauru said not a thing. Neither did the stern, fair-haired Lady Impa.

But they both eyed the fair Zelda most strangely… almost suspiciously.

Just then the young king decided to ask the young farmmaid once again.

"Is this truly what happened?" he asked incredulously, "Did the horse-raiser named Ingo truly have this ridiculous request?"

"Yes, my lord."

"She speaks the truth, you highness!" shouted right then a man from the long line behind her. The young king promptly allowed the man to come forward and speak what he had to say, "That mad Ingo came to me as well! And me too did he ask for a cucco hen that lays duck eggs!"

"Me too, my lord!" said a second man.

"Me as well!" said a third.

"To me he came as well!" Now a fourth!

"He has come to me as well, your highness," and here the fair Zeldahad to muster all her strength and willpower to stifle her voice and keep upright, for she truly feared that she just might collapse from laughter. For this fifth man to speak was no fifth man…

But her dear, good true friend, the red-haired Malon!

"…not only did he ask me for a cucco hen that lays duck eggs… which I told him he himself knows best does not exist… " the duly perplexed look on her dear friend was nearly too much for the fair Zelda! "He then asked me if there was any goat on our farm that birth to lambs! Or sheep that gives birth to kits!"

The young king fell silent and took a good long moment to think… or rather, to try to find any sense in all this!

"Good Malon…" called out the young king at last, "The horse-raising Ingo used to work on your father's farm, did he not?"

"He did, your highness," answered the good Malon, "Though he was mean of character, he was one of our best workers… and until the day he left us, he had always been with us…"

"Well then…" said the young king, "Perhaps you can explain this… odd behavior of his?"

But the good Malon shook her head.

"I cannot, your highness, I have never seen him act like this before… not even when he'd had too much to drink!"

The young king's brow furrowed deeply as, once more, he tried to make sense of the ill-tempered Ingo's mad behavior.

But then, at last, he called for a valet.

"See if the horse-raiser Ingo is still in town, and if he is, tell him to come before me!" ordered the young king, "Maybe here, when we ask him thoroughly, we will see what the meaning is behind his odd behavior."

The king's man bowed before his liege and then left to carry out his command.

The young king meanwhile allowed himself a brief moment of rest. But as he did, with his mind taken off the odd-acting Ingo, his sharp ears and his keen eyes soon caught on to something…

…the wise, fair Zelda…

…quietly giggling like a naughty child!

...

Not much time later, the king's valet returned. With the ill-tempered Ingo.

Although…

Ill-tempered ill-suited the odd-acting Ingo that day. Much the contrary; when the odd-acting Ingo stepped before the young king, he was very cheery, and of best mood, and every man and woman he passed he wished a very pleasant afternoon.

The young king frowned at what he saw, the way the odd-acting Ingo acted and held himself… was not the way one mad behaved, rather, he acted like a mocking jester.

The fair Zelda meanwhile held up her pretty hand and covered her lovely lips. And bit down hard on the lower as to stop herself from laughing.

"Good day to you, your highness… have you been well?" greeted the odd-acting Ingo the young king, and his bow was so overdone that the fair Zelda had to bite down on her lip so hard she nearly drew blood.

The young king on the other hand frowned harder.

"I have been… well… thank you…" answered the young king, "And yourself? Have you been well?"

Again the odd-acting Ingo did an overdone bow.

"I have been most well, your highness, thank you very much for asking."

Once more the young king frowned. It was clear to him that the odd-acting Ingo was merely acting odd.

'But for what reason...?' wondered the young king.

"I…" began the young king to say, "…have been told that you, Master Ingo, have been asking around for a cucco hen that lays duck eggs… is this true?"

The odd-casting Ingo did yet another overdone bow.

"That is indeed true, your highness."

Again, the young king took a good long moment to observe the odd-acting Ingo.

"Why do you look for a cucco hen that lays duck eggs?" asked the young king slowly, "Why not a duck hen?"

The odd-acting Ingo shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no real reason, really, come to think of it…" admitted the odd-acting Ingo, "I just would really like to own a cucco hen that lays duck eggs. Or something alike."

Again the young king frowned.

"You sound quite certain that you will find such a hen…" commented the young king off-handedly.

"Oh, I am! I am!" relied the odd-acting Ingo.

"What makes you so certain of it?" wanted the young king to know.

"Well…" began the odd-acting Ingo, "Since there are cows that give birth to red foals, I figured why shouldn't there be cucco hens that lay duck eggs?"

At the mention of red foals the young king instantly came alert!

"…who told you that there are cows that give birth to red foals?" asked the young king in a dreading voice.

"You did, your highness!"

The throneroom, which until that moment had been filled with quiet, confounded murmurs and chatter, instantly fell silent.

"…I did?" asked the young king blankly.

And the fair Zelda once more had to bite down hard on her lip!

"Yes you did, your highness!" quickly reassured the smug Ingo, "Do you remember the cowherder with whom I was arguing over the little red foal? Who you declared to be the rightful owner? Well… that cowherder owns not a single horse! How did he come to have that red foal if not one of his cows had it?"

The young king went red in the face…

…as did the fair Zelda, who struggled once more to contain her laughter. And she was not the only one.

In an almost angered voice the young king responded, "I think it more likely… that he bought or traded the red foal."

"But he didn't, your highness!" immediately replied the smug Ingo.

The young king raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say so?"

"There are only two men in all of Hyrule who raise this kind of red horses," replied the smug Ingo, "Myself, and the landlord Talon. The cowherder did not buy the foal from me, and neither did he from the landlord Talon; he does not sell foals!"

The young king said nothing.

Then he called out, "Is the good Malon still present?"

"I am, your highness!" called out the good Malon among the still present crowd.

"Tell me, good maid," asked her the young king, "Is it true what the Master Ingo said? Is there truly no one other than himself and your father who raise those wonderful red horses here in Hyrule?"

"That is true, your highness," replied the good Malon, and half-bowed, "Before Master Ingo chose to go his own way, my father was the only man in the land who raised these red horses. Aside from us, and the Master Ingo, I know of no other who raises them in all of Hyrule."

The young king took a moment to take this in.

"Is it also true what Master Ingo said about your father? Does he, do you really not sell your foals?"

The good Malon half-bowed again.

"That is true as well, your highness. We do not sell our horses until they are full-grown."

At that the young king fell silent. Dreadfully silent.

"Valet."

"Yes, your highness?"

"Find the cowherder from yesterday and tell him to appear before me," ordered the young king, "Tell him that the ill-tempered Ingo is prepared to pay the indemnity he owns him-"

"What?!" screamed the ill-tempered Ingo ill-temperedly!

Between the wise, old Rauru and the fair-haired Impa the fair Zelda froze.

"Tell the cowherder to bring the foal as well, just in case that ill-tempered Ingo shows his bad temper again and can prove once more his rightful ownership."

The astonished Ingo's mouth fell wide open at the king's proclamation.

Then he abruptly turned to glare at a supposedly clever farmmaiden.

Said farmmaiden fought to make herself as little as possible.

The valet meanwhile had left to do as he was told.

"Master Ingo."

Slowly, the ill-tempered Ingo turned to face the young king again.

"Yes… your highness…?"

"I assume you have a way to prove that you are the rightful owner of the foal?"

"What?" asked the perplexed Ingo. Then he understood, "Oh! Yes, yes! I do, your highness! I brought the mare that birthed the foal!"

"Bring her. Be sure it is the right one."

The ill-tempered Ingo gave a quick bow and hastily run out to get the mare.

When he had left, the young king turned to another of his men.

"When those two arrive with their horses, tell them to wait for me in the courtyard and let me know at once."

The man bowed in acquiescence and left to await the ill-tempered Ingo and the cowherder and the castlegates.

Meanwhile, the fair Zelda tried to slip unnoticeably to the back and hide behind the wise, old Rauru and the fair-haired Impa.

For she had not missed the look on the young king's face…

It was the self-same look she had first seen two years ago…

It was the same look she had come to fear since…

It was the look the young king had upon his face when he had passed judgement upon her dear, old father…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated.   
> If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical ratings from 0-10 will suffice just as well.  
> 10 = PERFECTION!  
> 9 = Awesome!  
> 8 = Very good!  
> 7 = Good  
> 6 = Nice  
> 5 = Not too bad  
> 4 = Not so good  
> 3 = Bad  
> 2 = Why did you post this?  
> 1 = Why the hell did you even bother write this?!  
> 0 = Delete this shit… NOW!


End file.
